RAFTERY'S

What?!?

2011-01-22T11:59:00.000-08:00

I love reading others blogs. I almost get mad when my friends and family don't update them for my enjoyment. That being said, I looked at my own blogging history and decided I am mad at myself too. I had 35 posts in 08, 10 posts in 09, and a big whopping 3 in 2010. WOW! I guess the excitement of telling you all my useless daily "blah" lost its joy and the real life crazies have caused me to be a slacker. I apologize Heidi. Please don't be mad, just be better.

Okay, now to getting better. I will do a quick catch-up from September to the present, I will really condense this for your viewing pleasure.

All three kids were in AYSO soccer. All three thoroughly enjoyed it. Jourden played for the first time, he ROCKED! He was so good and caused a few tears with fellow team mates because they didn't get to score. He was so cute and excited after each goal he scored; which were MANY! Ashton was an amazing player again this year. He was on a team with his best buddy and cousin Dominick and coached by uncle Dave. He is such a serious and determined player and he scored the majority of the points for the team. Shae was on an excellent team that finished the season undefeated. She isn't the most aggressive player, but she does an awesome job and loves to play forward and score. Both Shae and Ashton were chosen to be on competition teams and have started practicing with their teams.

Halloween was fun as usual. I really love the "before" Halloween things. Actual Halloween day is kin
d of anti-climactic and lame to me, but it's not about me anymore is it. I had a cool little entryway decor going on. Saving that totally and completely dead tree and moving it in a hellacious hectic move from one house to another was worth it. Thanks Geoff for just doing it and not secretly throwing it out when I never would have known. The kiddos were adorable and loved their costumes. Shae and her grandma made her alien-space-pop star outfit and she looked awesome.
Thanksgiving was hosted by me...again this year. I was okay with that and actually volunteered. We had a really good time, excellent food and had a great weekend with family. We did some crazy Black Friday shopping with Greg and Becky and pulled an all nighter, which is not good for this old lady and Mother PS.

Christmas was good. We watched Shae and Ashtons first piano recital. They were so cute and Ashton was very nervous. they did awesome. We had delicious dinner at Moms on Christmas eve as usual. She cooks so much for everyone and we had a super yummy prime rib. Thanks Mom. Christmas day was great. Everyone loved their gifts and we had a lot of fun.

I am actually having severe memory loss at the moment so that is going to be it for today. My next post will be more sincere and heart-felt. Maybe I will write a ballad or a poem for you all. For now, this is all you get. LOVES!

Can't Help Falling

2010-09-15T15:48:00.000-07:00

Wise men say, "only FOOLS rush in", but I can't help falling in love with you!

I have always loved this song; The Elvis version, the UB40 version, the awesome re-make from one of my fave movies ever (Some Kind of Wonderful), all of them have always tugged at my heart strings. I really feel like it should be my theme song. I must have known it would one day mean something to me.

After high school I moved from the sprawling metropolis called Parowan. I know what you are thinking...."Why would you do a crazy thing like that?" Well, the scholarship to UVSC was the main reason, along with feeling like I should spread my baby wings and fly. One problem: I was totally "hooked" on my HS BF who happened to still be a HS BF. I did move to Provo, crying and boobing and wishing I were a little more excited to do so. After a whole entire week, I met a RM whom I was REALLY attracted to, although I couldn't tell my Mom what his face looked like! We hit it off quick and spent a lot of time together. I went home most weekends to spend time w/ the BF (stupid,stupid,stupid!!) juggled both guys really well. (I was MOST talented at this, Thnx MOM :) ) and pretty much played myself into the ground scholastically. The Provo BF and I were very serious. I was ready for marriage, he wasn't, then he was ready, then I wasn't. This went back and forth several times for reasons I didn't understand at the time, but now I fully "get it". I managed a few other boyfriends in between these two, always keeping at least two on reserve in case of emergency. SIDE NOTE TO SELF: Remember to write letters of apology for the horrible way in which you once treated so many undeserving men. The guilt will never leave until you do! Okay- so I moved back home to take the summer off. I was having a good time living at home again and had pretty much let the little BF go and was still dating the other. I went to a dance club in Cedar called the MINE SHAFT several times a month with the Sis' and a friend of mine. While there once, a guy who knew my friend saw me and told her the next day that he wanted to go out with "his wife" (referring to me) mind you, we have not met yet. She called me and asked if I would go out with him, me being a faithful GF (go ahead and laugh, I do) said I couldn't I had a boyfriend. Well she kept asking and asking and I decided to go out with this stranger, because what harm was there in that? The BF lived in Hawaii at the time, so HELLO! The guy who was calling me his "wife" was a little "rough" at this stage in his life. When I met him (w/ my GF in tow, yes, she went on our first date) he was at the tattoo shop. He had his nose pierced, his ears, and a few bad habits! BUT....I fell. I fell hard and fast and never looked back. We saw each other everyday after that first date. Right in the middle of this, the BF came back to the mainland and was really excited to come visit me and move on w/ the plans he had for marriage. He actually went to the dance club w/ me one night and things went VERY bad for all involved. I sent him on his way after a brief visit to my parents house and continued to fall for the "bad boy". After 17 days from our intro- the tattoo, pierced guy proposed to me out of the blue. Of course we hadn't talked marriage, we had just met! I of course said YES. My parents were excited and happy for me, which looking at it from a Mom stand point I am thinking.... WHAT??!!??!! They must have known what an amazing guy he really was behind the rebel facade. I proudly showed off my ring and gushed over the thoughts of being married soon. SCREEEEEECH.......wait, I still have a boyfriend! How awkward this conversation will be: " Hi, how are you? Oh you miss me? Can't wait to see me? Can I bring my fiance? Maybe we need to see other people. I was dreading this so immensely! The fiance kept trying to get me to call and "break-up", I kept putting it off. I guess the keep-one-in-the-pocket-for-emergencies dating plan was about to bite me in the butt! Well after 2 whole weeks of torture I called him (fiance on the other phone so he could witness it actually happening) I totally and completely crushed the poor guy. I ended up inviting him to our wedding- of which he attended and was not welcomed by the in-laws-(another story in itself!!) To make a long story longer, we have now been married 14 amazing and fantastic years!!

Geoff is no longer the rebel w/ the nose ring and earrings. The tattoo's will be there forever, but who really cares! His bad habits are gone, and he is even more alluring and sexy to me now than he was at the young age of 21 when I met him. He is the best Dad in the entire world. He is my best friend and my confidant. He makes me laugh, he makes me cry (happy tears-or tears of joy as my son says) He is smart and logical, determined and strong. I am more in love today than I have ever been. I can't believe I can love him any more than I do now, bit I said that 14 years ago and look how much that has multiplied. I am so lucky that "God blessed the broken road" that lead me straight to him. Can't wait to spend another 50 with him. He is THE best!!

So as my song says: Wise men say........ well, call me a fool. It's too bad everyone can't be as foolishly happy as I am!

PS I am scanner challenged, sorry for the mini picture.

Foe Toe Time

2010-07-16T22:37:00.000-07:00

It's late, my brain is no longer worth much, and my creative juices have completely evaporated, but....I just took some pics off my camera so I will post some. I posted some of these to my facebook too, sorry for the repetition. Caution: Extremely Random!
I know,I know, how ghetto am I to let him play in the front yard in his tighty whitey's? Well, after the 15th clothes change, I didn't even care anymore!

Tell me how perfect his hair would have been in 1991- shave off the sides, lather on the gel and ta-da, the sweetest "permed mullet" on the planet! He belongs on the beach in Cali doesn't he?

Lilies make me happy!

Jourden has perfected the tan! Better work on those lines!

Totally "bathed" in the dirt right before bed. Gotta love a trailer with a tub!

Not a speck of clean on the boy!

Ash and Julian fishing like "REAL MEN" bare-handed!

"fishing" in the spillway, they actually caught a lot of fish without poles.

Feels good to get soaked during the day.

Everyday occurance. Better than the other everyday occurance; torture, torture, punch!

Shae after girls camp. Too exhausted to even match!
Her face was buried in the couch, her arm was totally contorted, and her towel had just fallen off her head. She loved it!

DEAR......

2010-06-08T12:39:00.000-07:00

You are so shocked that I am back right? I know, I know, just calm yourself and be ready for an interesting post. I need to express myself here for a minute.

Dear Disneyland,

I long to be near you! Oh how much I miss you. Soon my friend, soon.

From, H

Dear Metabolism,

You are totally LAME!!

From, H

Dear Summer,

I know I begged you to get here for many months, but ease up a little, you are coming on a little strong! PS I don't appreciate you totally ignoring spring. You and winter need to discuss.

From, H

Dear Chocolate,

Why? I love you so very dearly, why don't you love me back!

From, H

Dear Weeds,

I hate you-go away!

From, H

Dear Money,

Why are you avoiding me? I treat you so well, but leave me so quickly!

From, H

Dear Children,

Please STOP the madness!! You make me scream and the neighbors may call the cops any day now!

From, H

Dear Mom,

I am sorry!!! (refer to last post)

From, H

Dear Fat,

I hate you the most of all, I have never liked you, why are you still here!! You and money need to switch places. This would make me happy!!

From, H

Dear Beach,

I can hear you now, when can we meet again? Please discuss with both Fat and Money, and get back to me. Thanks

From, H

Dear Good Book,

Why do you turn me into a worthless Mother and Wife? We should just get along!

From, H

Dear Diet Dr Pepper,

You are OK, I do miss your sugar filled sister though. She is delicious!

From, H

Dear Sleep,

I LOVE you!

From, H

Dear Blog,

Sorry I abandoned you for so long, I am a loser!

From, H

Dear United States,

You the best, I love you, I hope you can survive the next 2.5 year.

From, H

Dear Shopping,

I miss you!

From,H

Dear Laundry,

I despise you! How do you multiply so fast? Please teach Money!

From, H

Dear Husband,

You are AMAZING!

From, H

Dear Children (again. they never listen the 1st time anyway!!)

You are my EVERYTHING!!

From, H

Dear Utah,

Why don't you smell like Hawaii?

From, H

Dear Pioneers,

UNBELIEVABLE!! Endlessly amazed by you.

From, H

Dear Maldives,

We will have an amazing love affair someday!

From, H

Dear Exercise,

I am HOT, maybe we can meet up tomorrow.

From, H

Ta Ta for now!!

Gone...and I never even found it!

2009-12-29T20:37:00.000-08:00

Christmas is over already!!!! I had been trying to get the "spirit" of Christmas, couldn't quite capture it with the time I had, and wha-la...over! I am truly shocked at how fast the holidays came this year, and even more shocked that they are over already. I don't know if I am the only one that feels it, but I swear Heavenly Father is speeding up time so all the wicked and bad things can happen before Jesus comes. I remember "old" people talking about how fast time flies, but this is just overkill! I actually hate it knowing that the time I have with my kids as "kids" is in super-ultra-mondo-quick-speed. I want to work harder at being a good Mom an not a crazy loon that doesn't have fun with them, or play and enjoy their childhood. That being said, I'm pretty sure God knows what he is doing, and little ol' me can't do a dang thing about it! I guess all I can do is try to be better and enjoy them when I can.

We had a fantastic Christmas as usual. I always go into panic mode that we won't be able to keep up with our past years gifts, or won't get them enough, then after they mayhem of opening and exchanging, I am a little disappointed in myself for going overboard. Our tree had so many gifts under it on Christmas morn, Geoff and myself were a little guilty looking at it when we went to bed that eve. He is such an amazing and thoughtful husband, especially at Christmas, he always knows what I want, but won't get it if I ask. He always surprises and pleases me! Love him! He got me painting classes and all the supplies, which really means one night a week of relaxing time for myself to relieve some stress. I am really pumped about this. I won't go on about all the presents I received, but I must admit I was SPOILED once again. The kids were also VERY blessed with an awesome Christmas this year. I am just disappointed I missed out on the feeling I was looking for, maybe next year I will look for it a little earlier!

Seeing the room FULL of gifts before coming down stairs (Ashtons face really says it all!)

Ash getting one of the guns he asked for (we had a serious arsenal at our house: Geoff- a very "war-like" assault rifle, Shae- a pink stock 10-22, Ashton- a rifle, 2 pistols, an army gun and 6 real pocket knives, Jourden- an army gun and a pistol...note Geoff and Shae's real, Ashton and Jourdens- not real)

Uh...can I start to open these now or what?!

THANKFUL, GRATEFUL, AND ABUNDANTLY BLESSED!

2009-11-16T17:25:00.000-08:00

I am going to ramble here for a while because, well, I just feel like it! I have a facebook account, and some of my friend and relatives there are doing a "what I am thankful for" post each day. I pondered doing this challenge, but decided I didn't want to, not because it would get difficult towards the end (this is what people posted in their challenge, that is gets hard toward the end of the month after posting for 3 weeks) but because I knew I wouldn't be able to post ALL I am thankful for in just 30 days or less. I have never kept a gratitude journal, but have often thought how easy it would be for me to think of something everyday to be grateful for. Maybe if I was actually writing it down it we be more challenging than thinking it in my head, but it seems like a cake walk to do that everyday. I can't possibly post about EVERYTHING here, but I am going to consolidate into categories and see if I can keep this rather short!

My testimony and beliefs in what is important in life. I can't imagine going through the everyday tasks of life, and wondering what will happen to me or those I love when we pass on. I can't fathom life without prayer, I can't comprehend the thought of life without a loving Father who wants happiness for me and cares about me more than I could ever understand. I don't know if I would ever leave my home or let my children out a 10 foot radius of me, if I didn't know the plan of salvation...can't imagine I would.

My amazing and ever-loving family. From my "best-on-the-planet" parents, to my fantastic husband, I have THE absolute no if-and's-or-but's about it greatest family ever!!! I have been blessed with awesome children whom I love dearly and treasure as my greatest gift. Shae is an amazing daughter who is kind and smart and responsible. Ashton is adorable and hilarious and loving. Jourden is sweet and goofy and affectionate. I love them all SO very much, I couldn't imagine life without any one of them. Geoff is the greatest partner I could ever desire. He is an awesome Dad and my best friend. We are true "soul-mates" (for lack of a better word). My Mom and Dad are perfect parents and I owe them credit for any "good" attributes I may have, (I actually credit them for a lot more than that, cause that's not a whole lot to brag about!) I could go on about my sisters and brother, and my Grandparents and such, but just know I love them also and cherish my great relationships with all of them.

I am ever grateful for the United States of America. For those brave souls who have made it the greatest country ever, and those who still show their bravery daily to keep it that way. As scary as the future looks to me, and as many freedoms and liberties I see deteriorating, I know this country is still the greatest, and I love all it stands for and allows me in my everyday life. God bless the USA!

I am thankful to be me. I know that sounds weird because I am sure no one reading this would ever want to be me, and sometimes I am not to fond of the idea either, but I truly love being who I am, where I am, and how I am. I love being able to walk and talk and breath and smell and taste and touch and hear and see. I love my body (as hideous as it may be!!) I love doing all I can with it and having "it" each day is a gift. You never know when the time will come that your body is through. I am sure I could be much happier if I took better care of my body, but none the less, I love all the things this flesh and bone blob allows me to enjoy.

I think I will stop now, although my mind is just flowing with gratitude that I would love to share. I am SO eternally grateful, thankful and blessed to have such an abundant life. My cornucopia flows over with so much. Most of the time, I don't even deserve it!

Halloween

2009-11-02T14:27:00.000-08:00

The cute Kiddos on Halloween.
Shae...beautiful as ever Alice in Wonderland
Ashton...killer clown did an amazing job in the clown shoes!
Jourden...vampire who scared himself when he looked in the mirror, started crying and jacked-up the make-up job, so funny! Even funnier, he was sportin' a ponytail!

Shae and Geoff went to a Daddy-Daughter-Dinner a few days before Halloween and looked really cute. I think they were both awesome considering they were seriously last minute costumes. They had a great time and had a lot of fun together.

I'm Alive!

2009-10-11T18:48:00.000-07:00

I'm sure you all thought I was dead, but here I am still kickin! Life has been a whirlwind of crazy for us for the past three months or so, and blogging was not picked up in that twister. There have been really good, and not so great things in life, but through it all I have come to the conclusion, you make your own happiness. I find myself looking at others a lot and saying, Why are they so lucky? Why do they have everything managed so perfectly? Why are they blessed with it all? I very soon correct my thinking on those idiotic thoughts. And often times I find myself saying, Why do they have such a sad family life? Why is she given so many trials? Why were thay sent to that sad situation? Some things we are given as a challenge for our own good, others, a consequence of our actions, but it all boils down to, you make your own happiness. Wherever you are in life, down and out, or up on top of it all, it is my conclusion that you make yourself happy. Create what you will with what you have and you can have it ALL!
Enough of the sacrament meeting talk. I was actually hiding under a rock for over a month. We were without television (it has been a year now since we have been without that one-eyed monster and I am thriving- go figure!) without newspaper, without Internet and the only news source I had was 5 minutes here and there of FOX radio (conservative talk shows) in my car. I was pretty clueless about trivial things and worldly gossip and such, but I didn't really mind. My Mom would inform me here and there of death's and such, but I can say I was mostly in the dark. And guess what, I was Okay! I am grateful to have the Internet back, but we will stick with our boycott of trashy TV and just watch movies here and there. My kids are fine and haven't complained once about it. Maybe now that I think about it, I am reverting back to the good ol' days like it was when I was little. We played outside a lot more than kids do now. My kids are always asking to go play with friends outside, I love that! This next "thing" is pretty funny, but it does point back to the good ol' days too. We have chickens! Yes, we now have 14 hens in a coop in our back yard! My kids put on their rubber boots and go get the eggs everyday. I have wanted to have chickens for a long time and we finally have some. I feel like a farmer sometimes when I go out there and step in "it" but, guess what...that isn't that bad either! I am sure sounding weird aren't I ! Who would have thought, no TV, kids outside, and chickens in my yard! That twister I was in must have dropped me in 1952! I think I'll stay a while, I kind of like it here.

Us on the Oregon coast, a wonderful vacation in the middle of the CRAZINESS! (Please ingore the "humidity hair").... impossible!!!!

Love the Mountains

2009-06-26T13:48:00.000-07:00

We finally had our first camping trip of the summer last weekend. YEAH!! We are definitely a family of campers. Only in our trailer, if we were still tent camping, that would be another story. I love nature, I am so appreciative of my surroundings here in SO Utah. How blessed we are to be in amazingly beautiful surroundings in 15 minutes or less. I also love camping because my awesome hubby is a pro. He loves it, cooking, planning, cleaning-up, he pretty much takes care of it all. That makes if fun in itself, I kind of take a break from the servant I feel like I am sometimes (not from him, but my kids). We didn't have the ATVs this trip, but Shae decided she was going to drive something anyway and had her first real driving experience...SCARY! She took the Dodge Dually for a spin around the campsite with Dad as the passenger, and crazy Uncle Greg on the back of the flat-bed! He isn't that bright apparently. She learned the sensitivity of the brakes and he learned he could do a backward somersault-awesome. She was actually on the road when a truck came up the road and had to pass her, good thing it wasn't a Forest Ranger! We dined on delectable dishes, played LOTS of hands of rummy while listening to rolling thunder, sat for hours around the mesmerizing fires, had good conversation with Geoff's great family, caught fish, slept in and loved every minute. Can't wait to go back next weekend. This time in our bigger better trailer that Geoff is on a trek to get as we speak. I made him go all the way to Denver to get it this morning, I am SO excited!!

11 Year old's first driving lesson...Greg on for the ride....what an idiot! Love him anyway.

My cute Shae learning the ropes like a farm girl.

Ashton, Geoff and Shae around the cozy fire (first night was a little chilly)

PLEASE don't report me to CPS, yes I let my 3 year old use a hatchet!

Geoff checking the coals for the YUMMY chicken.

Jourden trying to keep his hotdog safe from Rilo

Slack-a-lackin'

2009-06-12T12:28:00.000-07:00

What a slacker am I!!!! I used to get mad at my fellow bloggers for not updating their blogs every week or so, now look, it has been almost three months! Loser!! Anywho, a lot has happened, I just haven't been inspired to post about it, so I will give you a brief rundown on the life of the Raftery's since Ashton's birthday. Shae had a birthday, Jourden had a birthday, went to Disneyland twice, Shae had a orchestra concert and played her cello beautifully, Ashton had his first pinewood derby, Ashton was baptized, Shae completed elementary school :( she was chosen as the Model Mustang, both kids finished school, visited Hoover Dam and had a mini va-cay in Vegas, Geoff's Dad had a liver transplant and is doing wonderful, celebrated a great Easter, Mothers Day and Memorial Day, Shae made her own quilt (sewing and all) for a great school project, and I had a baby....just kidding, I did pass some HELLacoius kidney stones and I would have rather had a baby! I'm sure I am forgetting some really great things, but it has been a long time and my kids are home fighting all day everyday, so my brain is like mush right now. I will try to keep up on things better from here on out, but don't hold me to it!

This always happens when Dad is around!

The Happiest place on earth!! Truly!! LOVE IT!!

Cutest kid, best looking car, slowest on the track!

Geoff grew out his hair (all of it!!!) slowly he's shaving it off again

Crazy hair day at school

Jourden's horse cake

His own tiny skateboard

Beautiful girl and her cello

Hoover Dam

Baptized by Dad

Who doesn't love a party?

It's Great to be 8!

2009-03-24T08:53:00.001-07:00

A week later, and I am finally getting around to posting about my adorable Ashton. We have had a very difficult week around our house and poor Ashton had his very important 8th birthday right in the middle of it. He was lucky enough to pull off having 2 parties though. My family came over on his actual birthday, St Patty's day, for the tradition of corned beef and cabbage dinner, which I might add was fantastic! He then had a few of his friends over on Friday for a very out-of-control army party (which happens to be his 3rd army themed party in 8 years!) 7 and 8 year old boys are really obnoxious and super wild, I promise myself every year that I won't do that again, and every year I do. I did make him scale it down this year and we didn't have 28 kids here like last year, still the one kid I said I would never let come back, I nearly strangled-seriously! He had a great time and it is only one day a year, so I just suffer through it and do it for the sake of those I love. Shae turns 11 this Saturday, so I get to do it again with loud 10 and 11 year old girls, but again I do it for my kids. Ashton will be baptized this Saturday and he is very excited. He is so cute about the whole idea of being a "changed man." He said this to me a few days after he turned 8, "Mom, I just did what you told me to and I could feel the Holy Spirit." He is such a cute little guy. I really hope he does feel the Holy Spirit after he is confirmed a member of the Church. He has always been my "challenge" child, and I feel like he is getting better everyday, it will really help him (and me!) if he can keep that still small voice close by and let it guide him, I can't wait!

8 reasons I love Ashton:

He is our comic relief. Ashton has always been funny, before he could talk he was dancing so hilarious, then when he started talking we haven't stopped laughing.

Ashton is always smiling. Sometimes it's out of guilt, but most of the time, he's just happy.

He is a kisser and a hugger. I hope he never changes how affectionate he is to me, unfortunately I think this will carry on into other women in his life and I cringe at the thoughts of him dating!

He is a total man's man. I don't mean a boy's boy, I mean a real man's man. He told me yesterday that he wants to get married right now! What!!? He loves to hunt and shoot. He loves girls and claims to have a "hot" 13 year old girlfriend, honestly I don't know where he gets these things. He is all about guns, girls, and army guys.

Ash is a tender heart. He gets his feelings hurt very easily and cries when animals and babies are sad or hurt. It's good to know he has that soft side to go along with his killer instinct.

He has such a cute little face. I love his gorgeous blue eyes and his cute little freckle nose. His blond hair turns super light in the summer and he has such cute little kissable lips.

He is pretty good at doing what I ask. He is getting better everyday and helps me out when I ask him. I throw in a little guilt and he is happy to help out his "poor" Mom. He doesn't usually talk back to me and when he does, he really feels bad.

Last but not least, I love Ashton because he is my amazing first born son. No matter what my kids act like, or no matter what they put me through now or in years to come, I love them unconditionally. Ashton has raised my blood pressure on several occasions (that started before he was even born!) caused me to swear more than I would ever want to, and have some pretty doozy freak-outs, but no matter what, I love him more than I can describe and I wouldn't change a thing about him. Happy Birthday Ashton!

Tagged....5 Addictions

2009-02-03T14:05:00.000-08:00

This tag is kind of hard to do. A: because my addictions change frequently, and B: because I have posted several times about my real addictions, so it might be boring and redundant. Oh well, I guess I will spill the beans and tell you what I can't live without.

1. Costco. Weird I know, but I find myself really craving a trip to St George to go to Costco. I have found some great things there and I usually feel pretty satisfied after I leave. I guess it is more of an addiction to shopping, but I really love finding a good deal, and Costco comes through for me a lot.

2. I won't really put my food addictions on here because I would be embarrassed to tell you all what kind of crap I eat, and I would need more than a list of 5 things. So I will only put this one guilty pleasure I indulge in as my food item. Red Cream Soda! So de-lish. I don't really drink it a lot, but recently I have been giving in to the need and drinking it almost daily. I know, I know, the 5K and the soda don't really mix, but leave me alone, like I said, my food addictions are pretty short lived and as soon as the 12-pack in my fridge is gone I will move on.

3. This one is obvious, if you know me even a little, you can guess this one. Disneyland. Love it, crave it, can't live without it. It makes me happy just thinking about being there. I think Walt is secretly my Grandpa and my Mom is keeping a family secret from me. I wish I could visit monthly. Love, love, love it!

4. This bleepity-bleepin (those are swear words) Internet. I really have a love hate relationship with this computer. I can't hardly go a day without it, but it takes up so much of my precious time that I have really bad guilt. On a good note, I find out all I need to know about my family and their happenings on Facebook, I know a lot of things about my friends that I may not know otherwise from their blogs, and I know who was arrested and for what, within minutes of their stupid move. So I guess it really is a good thing.

5. A clearance sale. I really never buy something unless it is a killer deal. But on that same note, I buy things that are a killer deal, just because they are a deal. I have become better at this and I really ponder if it is a true need or just a really bad want. Most often it isn't a need, so the percent off the original price, combined with the final amount, mixed with the who's birthday is coming up, and do I have any where to put it, determine my final answer, which is usually "it's too good to pass up" so I better buy it. That explanation I just gave is the precise reason I haven't been shopping in a LONG time; I don't have any money to spend on that 75% off silver platter!

So there ya go, a few of my many addictions. I decided to leave out the porn, marijuana, hard alcohol, and swinger parties, I pretty much have those under control, it's those other's that I mention above that are really damaging my relationships and ruining my life!

I tag: anyone who will blab their inner-most secrets and tell us your own addictions!

I'm going to do it!

2009-01-23T14:39:00.000-08:00

I got a phone call today from a friend, this is our conversation for the first 20 seconds..(her)" Hey, what are you doing? (me)"Oh, I am making a double batch of cookies," "great! I am calling to see if you want to train for a marathon with me" "sure, count me in." The conversation continues with her explaining why she wants to, her explaining her motivation, why we should do it together, yadda yadda yadda. I already told her it was a go on my end. My sudden agreement to start to train for an actual race came as a real shock to myself since I haven't ran AT ALL since I was probably 14 and was "so blessed" with my more-than-necessary DD's. It is really quite painful to run, and I am always scared of the sag factor if I jostle them any more than necessary! So, when my excitement to jump on the running wagon came so freely from my lips, I was really surprised. I think it comes from my success with losing weight that I have had for the past year, and the desire to "get down" to where my goals will be finally met after years of letting pregnancy and the knowledge of having more kids, wreak havoc on my body and motivation to lose it. We obviously won't be running a marathon, but we would both like to do a half marathon and look at that as a goal for the future. I have a lot of "those" chicks that read my blog that I am looking for advice from. "Those" is referring to you skinny runner girls who look fantastic in spandex and train for a week and are ready for a 1/2. Give me your advice, tell me what not to do, let me know what races are good to start with and where to start. I know it will take a while to even get to the point that I am comfortable running, so I don't have to many expectations for a while, but I am excited to get back in shape. I would love to get to the point that I think running is "fun". Right now I look at it as absolute cruel and unusual punishment. I would love to like it. So ladies, pump me up, tell me I can do it-lie to me if needs be, I am going to start running! ( okay, I will start walking, then maybe a light jog, and then we'll see!) So I'm off to find a good bra, actually I'm off to find 3, I need all the "support" I can get~!

INSANE!! Boys are so WEIRD!

2009-01-08T14:02:00.000-08:00

What do you get when you mix 2 crazy boys, a cozy hot tub, a VERY frigid night (10 degrees) and a 33 year old "boy/Dad" with a triple dog dare????

My crazy family. Geoff goes out to "check" on Ashton, Jourden, and my nephew Dominick, and this is what happens!! The hot tub is a cozy 103 degrees and the outside temp was too cold for me to go, fully dressed, and watch them, so Dad thinks it a great idea to hop out and make snow angels. What do you do if you are 7 and your WAY cool Dad dares you to do it? You do it. After a few times, Geoff came and got me to watch what they were doing. It really was pretty hilarious. Their screams were piercing when they jumped back in and had that great feeling of needles penetrating every pore on your body. They thought is was pretty funny and he eventually had them rolling around covering their entire bodies with snow before the mad dash back in. I snapped a few shots after they had done it several times and were getting burned out on the pain. Jourden didn't get involved other than the tidal wave they made jumping back in. I'm sure it was invigorating and didn't hurt them, but oh my, I'm sure my Grandma Alger is cursing me from above! This would have surely given them pneumonia back in the day, it's a good thing they "cured" that wives tale.

Whew! I made it through!

2008-12-31T13:41:00.000-08:00

Just as quickly as it crept up on me, it is gone. I am always shocked at how fast the holidays come and go and it seems I don't even have time to enjoy it before it's over. We had an amazing Christmas as usual. I received bounteous gifts and loved the excitement in my children's faces. My amazing husband spoils me terribly, no matter how persistently I beg him not to. He has great taste and has always been very perceptive and thoughtful with my presents. We spent a lot of great quality time with our awesome families, ate WAY too much chubby food, and OH how I have loved sleeping in. I'm not getting any extra sleep though, thanks RockBand 2! I am so very blessed and once again find myself thinking, why me? So many amazing people in the world deserve what I have and a lot of times, I don't. I am so eternally grateful for EVERYTHING in my life-good and bad. Without the rain, there are no rainbows!

my cute elf kids

2008-12-16T21:11:00.001-08:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

I Think I Can Breathe Now.....Maybe?

2008-12-15T10:03:00.000-08:00

Whoa! What a whirl wind my life has been the past few weeks! I have been going a hundred miles an hour since before Thanksgiving and am just now thinking it may slow down. I love Christmas so much, but it seems a lot of times I am almost too busy to enjoy it. I would love to sit by my fire and listen to beautiful holiday tunes and relax. Maybe the next 10 days (crazy!) will allow me some down time. We went to Geoff's family Christmas party this weekend and had a great time as usual. It is so much work and so much "crap" to pack that sometimes I think we are insane! We stay for 2 nights at a cabin just 40 minutes away, but we pack more than if we were going to Europe for 3 weeks! My Armada was so full of stuff I had to hold a box on my lap and had stuff piled at my feet, so I couldn't even move. We enjoyed delicious food and ate more "chubby stuff" than we ever should have. We played games and argued over ridiculous answers at Scattegories. We bundled and unbundled the children too many times to count. We made adorable crafts and listen to Christmas carols. Geoff's Mom goes all out and does a too cute nativity with all the kids. She puts so much time, effort and money into this little re-enactment that she deserves way more credit than we give her. Jourdan was an angel and was the cutest thing you have ever seen! Shae made an excellent Wise man, and Ashton was pretty pumped about being Joseph. It was so cute! We all fought over the Trivial Pursuit 80's game I brought as my gift for the exchange, but after we tried to play it we were glad we didn't get it because we all felt like huge idiots and couldn't answer any of the questions. I'll stick with the Battleship game I won and feel smart playing it! We stayed up way to late and didn't sleep that well, so now I will need a few days to catch up on my Z's. It started to snow pretty good on Sat. evening, so we were all so excited, it looked so beautiful up there. Our late night conversations turned a little "racy" but we were all laughing so hard that it was too hilarious to stop! Somehow we came home with way more junk than we went with so my car was packed to much to even take our stuff home, we had to send some of it with Geoff's parents and will get it later. All in all we had a blast and we look forward to next year and the craziness of it all. Geoff's family is awesome and I love them all. Thanks for the great weekend! Good Times, Good Times. The cousins in Bethlehem
Ashton as Joseph

Wise "man" Shae- she graciously gave her role as Mary to a disgruntled cousin who later that day punched her in her face, nice payback huh?

Doesn't he look sweet? Well, he wasn't! He was torturing "Mary" through the whole show, and then beat up another angel and made him cry. Looks are decieving!

Giving Thanks

2008-11-23T20:14:00.000-08:00

Today I gave my first sharing time in Primary. It's funny how those sweet children can be so intimidating. On a casual situation, I am so comfortable with kids, but it must be something about standing up there and actually having all the focus on myself (which I despise, I am so not a look at me type of chick) that pretty much makes me nervous. Anyway, it went well and I feel like the children responded well and learned from me, which is all that matters. Of course it was about giving thanks, but instead of the huge list I could have rambled off for hours of what I am thankful for, I focused on the #1 thing in the world I give thanks to me Heavenly Father for daily, that being my testimony. How scary a world not to have that. I love having the knowledge of what's to come, of what I should be doing, of things to stay away from, what comfort I have in my soul just knowing these things. I'm not saying I'm doing a perfect job of living with this knowledge, but it makes me feel good just knowing and trying.

This next week will be crazy busy for me, and although I would love to post everyday about random things, I will refrain and just post today for the week to come. I have so much to be grateful for. My "cornucopia" is over-flowing and I love my life. (I used a cornucopia for sharing time). My list of Thanks will be so very small in comparison to all my thanks, but I will just give a short version of my Bible sized book of blessings.

I am so thankful for my home. I love my house, this city, country and world I live in, I wouldn't change it for anything.

I am eternally grateful for my parents. The best on earth! They would do anything for me, and always have. My Dad is a friend to everyone (which scared us on several occasions as kids!) and is always trying his best to make me happy. He is definatley a "pleaser" which is where I get my in-ability to say no to anyone (thanks for that one Dad!) He is as freindly as they come and we usually chew him out for this trait, but I know he will be blessed for his need to talk to everyone anywhere. My Mom is a friend to few, but a best to me. I don't mean she is unkind to anyone, she just hasn't ever needed to have girlfriends, she is best friends with her kids, her Mom and her sisters. She is all about her family and has never needed to venture out of the home to feel like she is needed in the world. She would do anything any of us ever asked of her and has always puts her family first. They are both amazing confidants and that is probably why we all live within 15 minutes of them (5 kids,) we would "die" if we lived far from our Mommy and Daddy!

My own children and my husband are my world. I have the best partner on the planet. He supports me in all I do and never bats and eye. We have an amazing relationship that gets better with every breath. I love him dearly. My children are the coolest kids ever! They are beautiful and good and are true examples to me daily. (On occasion Ashton is the wrong example, but none the less, he is an example!) Our family is an example of true love, and I can not even fathom my life with out one of them. I am also thankful for awesome sisters and brother. They are the best and I love them all so much. I am so grateful they are all still my friends after my teenage years and my not so sweet treatement of them. They are also best friends to me.

I am thankful for my body. As unattractive as it may be, I give thanks daily for it. Touching my Jourdan's soft skin, smelling a fresh cut pine tree, tasting a juicy piece of watermelon, seeing my Ashton's contagious grin. I treasure the things my body does for my soul. I love being able to walk, to lie down in my bed and sleep well, to cook dinner with my hands and feed my family. I am so grateful for the things that most of us take for granted, most of the time. Sometimes I just stop and think of little things and give thanks to Heavenly Father for them.

I am most of the time, the most grateful for the things I "don't" have. I am a worry-er by nature. I have worried my entire life about needless issue that I'm sure have taken several years off my life and have given me a few unwanted wrinkles. I have gotten better in that past few years and I try to look at the eternal prospective more, but you really can't change yourself and your deep core issues. I am often aware of the trials and misfortunes that God has so graciously not placed on my plate. Maybe at a later point, I will be faced with them, but for now, I am so thankful for the lack of these in my life. So many people deal with so much anguish.

I seem to be getting a bit long-winded on my short version, so I will end there. But just know that I could go on for hours and type for days the thing I am grateful for. I love life, I love my lot in life, I love you all and I am thankful for my never-ending blessings. I feel like I should end as I would at the pulpit, but I guess I won't, that would be awkward and if you know me well, I am NOT thankful for awkward!

Premature Celebration?

2008-11-16T18:42:00.000-08:00

I know it is a "sore" subject of the blogging community, but like I said on my last post-I'm selfish! Most people, I have found don't like to listen to others blog music. I myself enjoy others choice of tunes and look forward to hearing what they are listening to in that period of their life. I personally put music on my play list that I want to listen to when I am reading and posting. With that said, I am prematurely changing my tunes to Christmas music! I know, the wrath of the "pre-Thanksgiving celebration haters" unite against me!! Truthfully, I have been listening to these tasty tidbits in my car for several weeks now, thanks to that cool station that starts on Halloween night with the jingly stuff. I get such a happy and spirited feeling when I hear Christmas music, I feel sad on the 26th that it is another year away. It is a huge part of my holiday's and it truly makes me happier or lifts my spirits no matter what is happening around me. So buck up everyone and enjoy, or hit mute and curse me as you read. Merry Christmas!

I'm Looking Kind of Selfish!

2008-11-12T20:40:00.000-08:00

I just realized that my past several posts have been about me. What a jerk I am! My kids are my life and maybe that's why when I sit down with this computer I go to selfish mode, but really, believe me, they are still here, lurking in my shadow every moment of my day. I really wouldn't have it any other way, I love them all so much, they are so full of life and energy. I can't get my Ashton to be quiet for two seconds. Wow is he ever loud and squeely (I think that word doesn't exist, but it fits him perfectly, so I am using it anyway!) Shae is on the edge of little girl and tween- aagh! Jourden is still my very close shadow and is getting to be pretty hilarious with what he says. I have neglected to post any pics of them on Halloween, and we had Halloween at our house for a full week. Shae wore her costume 5 times and it just so happens to be the cheapest costume she has had in her 10 years of life, funny how that works huh? We had an awesome holiday and really enjoyed ourselves.

Cutest Lion Ever!-Jourden

Toughest Ninja on the Planet!-Ashton

Creepiest Dead Bride Around-Shae(I know it's hard to make such a pretty face creepy)

Geoff and I even dressed up this year and went to a "grown-up" party, our friends are so fun.
Anyway, I guess it's better late than never, so enjoy the pictures. I dyed my own contacts and saw red all night, yes I am crazy, and no I didn't know if I would be blind in the morning, but it looked cool!

Deadwood Saloon

2008-11-10T12:55:00.001-08:00

Murder at the Deadwood Saloon

2008-11-09T19:48:00.000-08:00

Henrietta High-Stakes and El Guapo

The Gang-Everyone looked SO good!

Marshal Dalton questions Billy-The-Bartender, Montgomery Money and Banker Bob

Murder, Mystery and Mayhem at our house! We hosted a murder Mystery party Saturday that was so DARN fun. Geoff and I have been planning and ordering and plotting and scheming for nearly 2 months now and we finally had the big Shindig. It turned out to be more than we expected and we were so pleased with all of our family and friends amazing costumes. Everyone went above and beyond my expectations and made our night unforgettable. We had good food, good laughs and a rootin'-tootin' good time. My house was transformed into the Deadwood Saloon and I must admit, it looked really authentic. Although I was pretty worried about it starting fire because of all the oil lamps and candles I had lit! I ended up having to play two characters because of last minute cancellations, so it kind of made things to difficult to really get into playing the game, but I did win best dressed and I credit that to my awesome wig-so great! Geoff was dressing as El Guapo because we had 21 people for a 20 person party so we added a dirty Mexican bandit to the guest list, but again at the last minute, he had to play the Saloon owner and looked a little out of character, non the less, he looked hilarious. We have the best family ever and my cousin and his wife drove from Ogden to come and Geoff's brother and sis-in-law came from Provo, my three sisters and their husbands, my brother, two of my cousins, and two couples of good friends rounded out the Saloon patrons. There was some great acting going on, lying, cheating and stealing (good job Ryder) and of the 19 of us there, only my Sis Traci was up on her detective skills and won the Smokin' Gun award. I had some old time player piano music downloaded and we all drank from mugs and "beer" bottles (root of course). Geoff had an old time camera under the black cloak an took old time photos. The night turned out perfect and it was worth all the time we put in. Thanks Y'all for makin' it such a hootin' hollerin' good time.

SO Busy!!

2008-11-07T18:55:00.001-08:00

I don't think I have ever been this busy in my life. Whoa, the past few weeks, probably about 3 maybe even 4, have been absolute craziness for me. It is still going I must add, I feel like laying in bed ALL day and zoning out everything that must be done. This chaos all came before I was called to be the Primary president last Sunday- yeah I know, believe it! So now I will have crazy all the time. I am really excited, and I LOVE working with kids, they are so much easier to feel comfortable around compared to scary grown-ups. I know life will continue to be chaotic for at least 3 more months, then hopefully something will happen and time will maybe slow down about 10 light years. I still love to blog and read, so I plan to keep it up as much as before, but I guess we'll see. This isn't good-bye, just maybe see ya later, later than I wish!

Child of the 80's

2008-11-03T11:28:00.000-08:00

This quiz was totally rad! What really freaked me out was I truly got 100%. I must admit, the 80's were like the coolest decade ever! I saw an exact replica of some acid was jeans in Target the other day. Exactly the same down to the three buttons on the bottom of the tight leg-sweet! Nothing comes close to those awesome synthetic beats from high-tech keyboard. Nothing compares to the music of the 80's. Good Times, Good Times!

You Are 100% A Child of the 80s

There's hardly a moment of the 80s that you missed out on.

Was there ever a better decade? As if!

Are You a Child of an 80s?

AAAAGHHH!!!!

2008-10-31T14:22:00.000-07:00

Never give a stressed-out Mom a pumpkin and a power tool!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

"8" Tag

2008-10-28T09:47:00.000-07:00

8 TV Shows I watch:
We don't have TV in our house right now, an AXE bodyspray commercial put Geoff over the "smut" tolerance point and we had our Dish shut off, it has been actually pretty nice!
"If" I watched, it would be these:

House
Biggest Loser
Discovery Health (anything on this channel-love it)
The Hills (I know, shut-up)
Survivor
UFC (I know, shut-up again)
Amazing Race
Jon and Kate Plus 8

8 Things I did yesterday:

folded laundry- forever! I always wash, but despise folding and putting away!
went on a walk
read to Jourden
thought about and coveted my parents all day (Disneyland again!)
had twins sisters over for dinner
cleaned up puke-daily!
got a UPS delivery- I love getting packages in the mail
slept like a rock!

8 Things I look forward to:

Murder Mystery at the Deadwood Saloon- woo hoo
The Holidays
Disneyland- next visit better be soon!
November 5th!
snow
after Thanksgiving sales- I love a bargain
temple on Saturday
end of the recession

8 Places I like to eat:

My Grandmas house
PF Changs
Samurai 21
My backyard
Cheesecake Factory
Indian Creek lakeside
Mimi's Cafe
Macaroni Grill

8 Things on my Wish list:

debt free- no mortgage would be so dreamy
Smart ForTwo
Buick Enclave (I know Buick= Grandma, but I totally dig this car!)
more patience with my children
to be skinny again- yes hard to believe, I once was
butcher block island
white Christmas
Peace on Earth- okay, I will settle for just in my home

8 People I tag:

Brie
Jamie
Alicia
Marti
Jo
Stacy
Anyone else who hasn't been tagged yet-if you want to.

Guilty Pleasure

2008-10-25T21:12:00.000-07:00

I have been trying to "DO" better at life. I find myself lacking in so many ways and I have realized this all along, but as of just recently, I have not been content just being "good." The more blessed I am, the more I realize I need to do more. By do more, I am referring to my spiritual well-being I guess. I am what I would consider righteous, but I should try to become "really-righteous" I am so happy with my new found desire to do so, but at the same time, I am recognizing what I call my "guilty-pleasures"! I won't go to Hell (hopefully) for these little pieces of excitement, but I do realize I get no rewards in Heaven, and maybe even a few punishments on earth. But, some I do enjoy so much and would have serious issues giving them up, so for now, leave me alone (yes I am talking to you conscience!) and let me have my naughty moment.

A "few" of my guilty pleasures (and I mean only a few):

Internet- I could sit here for hours, and I have mounds of laundry!
Swedish Fish- I can eat them till I'm sick
Newly arrested inmates- I snoop almost daily on the Iron County bookings
Hershey Bliss- So delicious, so fattening
Sleeping in- it hardly ever happens, but when it does.....mmmmm!
Soda- not a lot, it is SO not good for you, but it is so satisfying
Reading- not really bad, unless you are a Mom to 3 with oodles of cleaning!
Costa Vida- the whole family likes it, but I really should just cook dinner
Sneaking into the jacuzzi alone at night- no one needs to know do they?
"Making out" like a teenager with my hubby- eww gross! (my kids think)
My cleaning lady- isn't that MY job?
A new pair of shoes- I only pretend to feel bad
Talking to that one friend who always has juicy news- I don't ask for it!
Sunday nap- not often, but I do have a family I ignore for a few hours

I could go on forever, but I am beginning to sound like a ginormous loser and I am starting to feel some guilt coming on, so I must quit! I can't afford to waist my guilt on this silly post, I have much better things to fret over!

Just a Few Pics of the Happiest Place on Earth!

2008-10-19T16:57:00.001-07:00

Going Through Withdrawls!!!

2008-10-17T12:50:00.001-07:00

This economy Stinks!! Since my dear hubby is self-employed, in the construction field none the less, we aren't necessarily rollin' in the dough right now. Any one who's been in this line of work can understand the feast or famine life we live. We are grateful to be "making it" and paying our bills, but we would definitely like to be back where we were 2 years ago. I am not complaining, don't get me wrong, I am extremely blessed and have more than I could ask for, but darn it, I am supposed to be at my favorite place on earth right this very minute, and instead I am screaming at my children and freakin out about my house that looks like a bomb went off in. UEA is an awesome time to get a mini vacation and give one last hurrah for decent weather, instead I am blogging for enjoyment and no travel is planned for the next long while. Nothing (almost nothing) makes me happier than DISNEYLAND!! I have been there so many times I could never count them. Jourden has been 8 times- he's 2. It is definitely an addiction that runs rampant through my family. Just as alcoholism can be hereditary, this is for my family. My parents often visit without any children, and they and all four of my siblings, and their spouses and kids have annual passes- and we all live here, and whenever any of us have an extra 10 dollars we head to Anaheim. Call us crazy-Geoff certainly does, but it is our veins. My awesome hubby (who is not the biggest fan) is so great to let me frequent the parks (I love them both) way more than he would like. He complains every time I mention the next time we should go, but ends up taking us anyway. He even flew there last trip and surprised us because he didn't go down with us. (He is a closet Disneyland fan!) I know of several people there right now and I am not jealous of the masses of crowds that UEA (Utah Enters Anaheim-not the real term, but fits better) brings, but I am still jealous no matter how crowded it is. HalloweenTime is so dang fun there. We went to Mickeys Halloween Treat last year and had so much fun. My kids literally filled an entire suitcase with candy from trick-or-treating in the park, and we still have some of that candy from a year ago! I bet it weighed 40 pounds and I am not exaggerating!

I guess I will just have to dream, until a few more people dare brave the crap economy and build a house or two, COME ON PEOPLE, I need my Fix!!

Fun Weekend

2008-10-13T11:07:00.000-07:00

I must admit, on occasion, I need a break from the monotony of the daily grind. I'm sure none of you can understand that, right? Eight years ago we went to the Haunted Forest in American Fork with some of Geoffs family. We ALL (don't lie Geoff) got scared and had a total blast. Literally scared the pee out of his sister and we have talked about how much fun we had for all these years since. So we planned a child free weekend to do it again. Thanks to my parents, we were able to go for 2 nights and enjoy a much needed date with each other. The big plans of a huge group dwindled down to his sister Brie and her Fiance Tony and ourselves, staying with Geoffs brother Greg and his wife Becky; it was their 5 year anniversary and they so graciously gave us their awesome bed and slept on the floor-THANKS guys, I hope you celebrate alone and have a little more romantic date! We went shopping for Halloween stuff, shopped for flower girl dresses, ate like glutenous pigs (several times!) and laughed at each other rocking out on Rock Band. We decided of all the haunted house there are in northern Utah, we would try the same one that scared us so bad before. No one peed this time and a few of us got wounded- including me, but we still had a blast and laughed a lot. I think we had more adrenaline pumping through our veins than we thought we did, and we all knocked out that night pretty hard. The four of us who went up together decided to go to the Body Worlds exhibit the next day and drove to Salt Lake from Provo. WOW! I loved looking at the human body in that way. I now know exactly what every organ, bone, vein, muscle, tendon and a few tumors look like up close and personal-way cool! We headed home after more overeating and a little more shopping. We had a great weekend and enjoyed spending time with his little bro and sis. I always love seeing my kids after a day or two away and even though getting caught up on the laundry and cleaning after trips away really stinks, I still love being a stay at home Mom to my adorable, loud, fighting, messy kids!

Les Miserables- AWESOME!

2008-10-03T21:22:00.000-07:00

Oh WOW! I love Tuacahn in Ivins. I have been fortunate enough to have seen several performances there, and every time I leave, I am in awe of what an amazing experience I just witnessed. The last production I watched there was Utah! and it has been a few years. I was there this spring with Shae to see the Colbie Callait concert, since then I have been wishing I would go, all summer long I kept putting off getting tickets because I guess I am just lazy? Well my sisters called me (via conference call-Ha Ha) and wondered if I would get the tickets online and go with them. My Mom and brother had attended the night before and had them pretty riled about what an excellent production it was. Since Les Miserables is one of the best musicals ever, it didn't take much prodding and I was in. As luck would have it, we ended up buying fantastic 7th row seats and headed to St George Thursday afternoon. My older sister has a 6 month old breast-feeding baby, so that was kind of tricky, but we worked it out and headed to Tuacahn. Beautiful weather, awesome seats, great company, and an outstanding production- OMGosh! If you have never been to that amphi-theatre, do it! So, so good, it was a true Broadway production. I think I will take Geoff to it next week and see it one more time- really. I loved it!

Murder Mystery

2008-09-25T13:43:00.001-07:00

This past Saturday we were invited to a Murder Mystery dinner party, hosted by Geoff's little sis Brie and her boyfriend Tony. She asked us about 4 week ago if we would be able to come, and from then, you don't even know how much excitement and anticipation I was experiencing!! I have always wanted to attend one of these events, maybe because I am a big fan of CLUE the game, plus I love getting out and doing things. No one can ever accuse me of being a home body. We were given our "assignment" which was our character for the night. I was going to be Jean Thoughtful- the family psychologist, and Geoff was Neal Worthers- the chauffeur. We started planning our costumes and getting good ideas for making the most of an adult dress up party. After two trips to St George, DI twice, Catholic Thrift store, the other thrift store, Spirit Halloween, Partyland, several trips to Wal-Mart, many phone calls and Internet sites, we finally decided we were costumed out! Since Geoff is a big guy, it's hard enough finding regular clothes that fit him, much less a chauffeur costume? It ended up so awesome, he won the best dressed award and looked so dang good! Everyone there looked perfect for their part so I was pretty happy he won. Geoff ended up being the murderer which he was really pumped about. We had to lie, blackmail, bribe and sweet talk each other out of money (we were each given $500 to start) I only gave money to "Neal"-Geoff and ended up with 250, He ended with 3800 or something crazy, he dominated the night-he won it all! We had SO much fun. I am going to do one of these parties in a few months because it was such a blast. Although, I am a little concerned at what a great liar my husband was!

All About Ashton

2008-09-22T20:12:00.000-07:00

So I have been putting off doing the spotlight on Ashton, only because he is so totally hilarious, that I wanted to remember some of his classic lines, and was racking my brain trying to get them. As I have mentioned before, my "memory" with those type of things stinks, so that is why the delay on the new post. He has given me a few new ones just this week that I will mention though. First, he is my adorable 7 year old with sparkling blue eyes and huge lovable grin. He has caused me to have a lot of "freak-out" screaming episodes that I swore I would never have with my children. But, no matter how mad you are at your little stinkers, you love them just the same as your other not so naughty children. I often think of that and thank my Heavenly Father that he is the same kind of parent, He loves me even after my "naughty" choices and I can only be grateful for that. Ashton is an awesome soccer player, he was on a pretty crappy team this year and he and one other boy pretty much won every game those little guys played. His favorite thing in life is video games and I use that for leverage a lot. He would play non stop if I let him, but he also would spend hours catching lizards, fishing, shooting any and everything with his guns. He is great on his dirt bike and he can pretty much master anything you give him in just a few minutes. He is excellent at math, doesn't love reading so much. He is definitely a mans man. Since he has been able to talk, he has had a true attraction to "hot chicks". I am not exaggerating this either, his Dad never calls a girl a hot chick, he came up with that one out of the blue, he really and truly started saying he loved girls, years ago. Yes, I have worried ever since. Just a few days ago, he was doing home work and having a hard time staying on task, he said to me "Mom, I'm not a smart kid... I'm real good at gettin' chicks". He is such a character! Since he was three he has told us about being an army soldier and killing the "Germans", yes, he is stuck a few wars back, but he absolutely knows he wants to be a soldier as his job when he grows up. Ashton is a rough and tumble kind of kid, but he has a very tender heart. He cried for literally days (off and on of course) because of some movie he saw at a friends house (mind you he never went to this friends house again) I guess there was a baby that drowned in a pool and he was so sad for that baby, that he could not shake it for a very long time. He says some very heartfelt things when he sees little kids or animals hurt. Another funny thing he said just yesterday was about the little boy across the street. He went over to his house to see if he could play and came back a minute later and said "Chad (Dad) said he couldn't play" ME: Why not? "He said he has a pink eye. Who cares, why would I care if his eye was pink!" I started laughing-duh why does it matter what color your eye is anyway? He is always cracking me up. I do love my Ashton so very much, he is a little hugger and kisser and is always complimenting me, I do need that! I am so glad I am his Mom and I know how boring it would get around here without him.

12 Wonderful Years!!

2008-09-19T11:29:00.001-07:00

Today marks 12 years of marriage to my sweetheart Geoff. I feel like I'm not old enough to married that long, but who am I kidding! I had big plans for a much needed getaway, but parent duties got to my conscience, and we stayed in town to catch Ashton's last soccer game-he is so good! We were okay with sticking around because Geoffs little sis Brie had a murder mystery dinner party that we were so totally excited to dress up for and attend we could hardly contain ourselves (okay myself) I will post about that tomorrow and I can't wait to do so- yeah!!! Anyway, back to 12 years ago, we had a civil marriage and were sealed in the Manti temple almost 2 years later. That was a truly amazing experience because we had our then 5 month old Shae in her "celestial" white dress and it was such a spiritual experience. I can honestly say we have had an amazingly wonderful time together and admittedly some not so perfect moments, but the good definitely outweighs the bad. He is my "soul mate" and as cheesy as that sounds, I am often scared by how eerily alike we are. It makes for few arguments and a lot of fun times. I love spending time with him and I can truly say he is my best friend. I still get that little flutter in my stomach when he pulls into the driveway. He is always respectful to me and never belittles me or hurts my feelings (purposely-ha ha, after all, I am still a woman ).

FOR BETTER OR FOR WORSE: *I am perfect and have done nothing wrong-ever!
*We all know how husbands mature SO much slower than us!

IN SICKNESS AND HEALTH: *3 very unhealthy pregnancies, including months of bed rest, Life flight emergencies, premature babies, and weeks in NICU's, he was a way better housewife than me!!
*Big guys are tough on their joints! Knee surgeries, bad back, elbows, and shoulders makes for a lot of "down time". And, men are always WAY sicker than women when we catch the same bug -right? (ha ha sorry guys you are bad whiners)

FOR RICHER OF POORER: *We started out in a single-wide trailer with a hole in the floor (straight through the carpet to the outside!) a leaking roof (it rained inside and out-literally) a very bad gas leak that we kept trying to get "diagnosed" to no avail (it stunk like natural gas constantly) One working burner on a stinky stove. Neither of us were employed (not because we were losers!) We had one working car (my tiny CRX) And we were as happy as could be!!!
*We are now living comfortably in an awesome neighborhood. Geoff does work in the construction field, so we still have our times, it is either feast or famine, but he has made a fantastic life for me and my children and has given us more than we could ask for.

I love him so so much and I am so lucky he found me. I dream of our next 12-20-40 years together and I can't wait!! Happy Anniversary Babe!!!!!!
(I had scanning issues- I don't know what I am doing, so you will have to click the pic to see how awesome we were in 1996-funny!)

Who Wouldn't Love That FACE!?

2008-09-16T19:41:00.000-07:00

My Big Manly Betty Crocker

2008-09-13T21:58:00.000-07:00

Geoff has always been great in the kitchen. He likes to cook- even though he doesn't do it often, he is really good at it. Growing up he was always helping his Mom in the kitchen, and from what I hear, his Mom was always in the kitchen! There were 9 kids in a combined family and she pretty much made a lot of great food- from scratch! Some of our family favorites are her recipes I now make. He makes awesome candy at Christmas time, and he gets really excited to get in the kitchen, crank the Christmas carol's and cook long into the night. His candy is fantastic and he makes so much, we have to get a loan to pay for the ingredients every year! Well, he is on a canning/bottling kick right now and it is going to be great. He first made strawberry jelly a few nights ago. (Isn't it pretty -that is it in the picture) It is delish and he was pretty glad he had success at his first (as a grown-up) canning experience. The next day, he made strawberry freezer jam, which I haven't tried yet, but it looks yummy. Today we bought 2 bushels (boxes, whatever the correct term is)of pears, 2 boxes peaches, a box of tomato's, 27 pounds ohicken, 12 packages of hot dogs (we are trying one of our fave dinners to see if it will bottle good), 16 pounds of butter, and a partridge in a pear tree! Sounds like I have a great week ahead of me. Geoff is going to help me and he is actually kind of happy to get it all going. He has rambled off a huge list of everything he wants to try and it sounds like we will have quite an awesome supply of "whatever we need" in our food storage. Isn't he great, love him!! Wish us luck and happy canning!

I LOVE My Country

2008-09-11T21:16:00.000-07:00

America is the greatest! I have always been a lover of my country, I remember as a child taking the flag raising duty so seriously and vowing to never let that flag touch the ground. To me, today is the most patriotic day of the year. Sad that we even have this "day", but at the same time, what an amazing uproar of love of the USA came about because of such a tragic loss. I rarely cry- but I rarely have dry eyes when I think of my awesome country. Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the USA" has never been sung and left me dry eyed. My spirit soars when I say the Pledge of Allegiance. My voice cracks and I sound terrible when I sing "The Star Spangled Banner", because I am on the verge of alligator tears rolling down my cheeks. Any member of the Armed Forces, dressed in uniform will make my heart swell with pride and I have to contain myself from kissing and hugging them and telling them I Love them- (how weird to have a crazy random lady kiss you in Wal-Mart!) Nothing gets my pride swelling and my adrenaline pumping more than a fighter jet roaring over my head and hurting my ears. I may be alone on this one, but who else crys over an F-16? I love the United States of America, I pledge my allegiance to my country, I love my fighting men and women--God Bless the USA!!!

Why Up The Nose?!!

2008-09-09T15:58:00.000-07:00

Why do all little kids stick things up their nose? Not just their fingers, I'm talking actual objects. I did it as a kid, my husband did it, we both remember how traumatizing it was too! Well it was Jourden's turn yesterday. I don't know when he did it, I didn't notice it until yesterday morning when he was laying down, I saw a white thing up there and felt the side of his nostril and sure enough, there was a hard white something lodged up there. Who knows, it might have been there for days, Geoff says he had been picking his nose for the past few days and that was a new thing for him (he has stopped that lovely habit since the dislodging, thank Heaven!) After trying to tweeze it out, suck it out (thanks for the use of the central vac Jamie!) blow it out (2 year olds don't really get the gist of blow harder!) I had no luck. Poor kid thought I was trying to kill him or something, but the doctor would have done the same thing- only with better tools, and charged me out the wazoo! It finally took Dad and Mom pinning him down with real force to get it out, and that only dislodged it, Jourden actually got it out with an accidental blow after we set him free. Turns out it was an eraser from a retractable pencil. Hopefully his turn is over and we won't be doing that ever again! (The penny in the pic is just to show the size of the eraser!)

Being close is the best!!!

2008-09-07T20:30:00.000-07:00

I love my family! From reading this blog you probably already got that, but I mean I love my WHOLE family. Geoff will often say how great it would be to live far away from our families, so when we went to visit it would be a grand event and we would miss them and all that fun stuff. It does sound fun to go home for the holidays and be so excited to spend a good solid week with family and catch up on things, but actually I'd prefer it just that way it is. My entire family (Mom, Dad, 3 sisters(their hubby's and 9 kids), a brother, my Grandma and lots of others)all live within 20 miles of each other, and Geoff has 2 sisters that live in Cedar City and his parents are in Beaver, so we are so blessed to be close. I love having sisters to call for taxi and tending services, in-laws to get together with and BBQ, and parents to invade on a hungry-don't-feel-like-cooking-Sunday's. My sister blessed her baby today in Parowan so again we were able to spend the afternoon with all the cousins and still come home and sleep in our own beds. I love to see my sweet Grandma who will cook the entire time she has company just to be sure everyone has something they like and is totally stuffed and sick by the time they leave. (She always has an awesome garden to raid all summer long and I never have to buy a store bought tomato or cucumber!) Family birthday parties always have to be separate from the "friend" party because 40 people gets a little overwhelming when your trying to bust a pinata! It is ALWAYS crazy and loud- 7 screamers under 4 years old in one room is a big anxiety attack waiting to happen!! Then add 5 more with only a few more years under their belt and you have total and complete chaos. We tolerate it pretty well, with the exception of Geoff who threatens to leave at least 5 times before he can't take it anymore!! I love my parents who support my kids in all they do and watch how excited my Ashton is when Grandpa gets to watch him play ball. I have an amazing close-knit family that is just right here, how lucky am I?!!

Best Daughter Ever!

2008-09-04T20:16:00.000-07:00

I have decided to spotlight my children one at a time because I think they are so wonderful. I will start with my amazing Shae-first because she is first, and second because we have embarked on a new "adventure" that hopefully will turn out awesome, for now we will "cope" with the learning process. CELLO! She started orchestra today in school and with some coaxing from Dad and myself, she will be learning how to play the cello. We couldn't possibly handle hearing a 10 year old learn how to run a bow across violin strings, so we thought the cello would be far less torturous to ourselves and we talked her into it. We decided to purchase instead of rent, and cellos are not CHEAP!! So she has to play until she is 80, or we have threatened her with dire consequences. She will be taking lessons for $80 a month (whoa!)from a teacher who plays an $80,000 dollar cello -yes that is the correct amount of zero's! So you see why the death threat if she quits! Anyway pray for our ears and sanity, we hope she loves it! On with the spotlight of her, she is a truly amazing girl. She is always kind and loving, and only on occasion, after tremendous torture, will she defend herself and fight with her brother. She is always helpful to me and I have taken great advantage of that fact. She watches her brothers almost daily. She is an awesome athlete. Loves soccer and is a true star. She picked up on basketball immediately after starting and is great. She's an awesome softball player who made All-Stars this year, and she wishes she could play volleyball but doesn't really have much opportunity here in Cedar. She loves rock climbing, hiking, swimming, and making crafts. Shae is super smart and I have never ever had an issue with her at school. She has a true spirituality about her that shines, she is one of those souls that is just born righteous. (Some of us aren't!) She loves being a girl, in fact she has gel nails on right now.(thanx Jame) She always wants to be right in the middle of it all- she got that one from her Mom! She would eat tomato's and potatoes all day everyday and she loves rice. Her favorite shows are: Jon and Kate Plus 8, So You Think You Can Dance, and American Idol. Her fave music is country and pop-she loves Tim McGraw, Taylor Swift and Colbie Calliet. She loves being with the family, I hope that never changes. I never have to ask her twice, she is such a sweetheart. Shae is so very tender-hearted, she'll cry if you hurt her feelings, and she'll cry if she hurts yours. I love her SO much, she is a beautiful soul in a beautiful body- My amazing daughter.
Click on her picture to see her perfect little face close up- LOVE it!

First day of school-a few weeks later!

2008-09-03T11:40:00.000-07:00

A few weeks after the fact, but still cuter than cute--Love my kids!

Another FANTASTIC night!

2008-09-03T10:18:00.000-07:00

WARNING-This is long, but hey, so was my night!
So yesterdays post was pretty funny once I looked at it from an outsiders view, I must admit. Well if you laughed yesterday, you might cry for me today. So you understand that I am very tired from the previous night "sleep" so I decide to go to bed early, about 9 I am getting pretty excited about it. I get to bed at about 10:45 (way good for me, I'm a night owl) I always fall asleep fast because I am so drained from the day, and miraculously Jourden had fallen asleep before me which rarely happens, he usually follows me around the house until I pick him up and put him in my bed. Well my sisters little boy has had a pretty gnarly cough, turns out he has RSV- I know, already! Well he and my Jourden are good buddies so I knew it was coming. Since Jourden was premature, his lung/breathing "system" isn't that great. If he gets a tiny cold, it automatically turns to a bad cough. He has pretty bad activity induced asthma and has a hard time kicking anything that has gotten to his lungs. Well he starts coughing his poor little head off probably an hour after I go out (I was almost comatose-seriously) I always try to ignore his hacking because it is a true nightmare to get him to take medicine, we always end with a ginormous mess. Geoff on the other hand groans and cusses like I am making him cough on purpose to keep him awake or something! "Can't you give him something-(grunt)(moan) roll-over (cuss)" I am well-aware he is coughing, he sleeps on my arm mind you. I ignore some more, then to save myself another "comment" from my loving husband I get out of bed, of course Jourden gets up too, and I go for the medicine. We have some Triaminic strips that dissolve on your tongue, but he always spits them out before they can dissolve. I try one anyway and he screams and spits but I figure he got a little of the stuff in him and we go back to bed. Doesn't really work, but his poor little body is too beat down to cough any more and he falls a sleep. (We go through the same scenario several times- minus the medicine) A few hours later he starts back up, harder coughing, louder moaning from Geoff, the whole shebang. I am at crying stage now, so exhausted, wish the night were over, all you Mom's get it right? Well I get up after 30 mins or so to try the other medicine, the kind he really hates! I sleep in my garments only, if you didn't get that from yesterdays story, and I had taken the medicine dropper in a bag that happened to still be in the car, that happened to not be parked in the garage, so I go outside in my underwear, Jourden on my hip, and start scouring for the medicine dropper. Please no neighbors be awake, it is 6am by now, so they easily could be. I give him some of the disgusting cough syrup and fight the fight again. He has to be laying down or we really have a mess, so we are back in bed. Geoff can get up for work now so I don't care that we are disturbing him anymore (maybe I didn't anyway- but at least I took him out of the room a few times!) Jourden screams spits, flails you name it. He starts coughing again because it is gross and here it comes- puke all over me-yes I said puke, for the second night on a row only this time there wasn't even a toilet in sight! The bed is covered, he is covered, my pillow, me Arghhh! You know the routine from there so I won't explain. Next I try a breathing treatment, it usually helps, we lay back in bed (away from the wet spot) and I start the Albuterol treatment- doesn't help, instantly turns his cough to croup! What the heck!!! The poor boy is so tired- I feel his pain, so I just lay by him and try to get him to sleep. Eventually it happens and it's time to get the kids up for school. I get out of bed and 2 minutes later here comes Jourden crying with this horrible croup cry. I get the kids, clothes, hurry and get them some breakfast and tell them to get ready. I take Jourden back to bed, start a different breathing treatment-this one for croup and lay there trying not to bawl. Luckily my kids stay on task and come in dressed and fed and ready for hair-do's. Geoff stopped in for something, realized I still had issues and gave the kids lunch money (I have made them lunch everyday till today!) Hey, Thanks Geoff!

Oh Great!

2008-09-02T09:58:00.000-07:00

One of my top three "joys" of being a Mom is the middle-of-the-night-puke sessions!! I love my sleep, I don't love it being interrupted, and I especially don't love it when it's a child telling me they are sick. This either means they need to sleep in my room and I need to get up and make them a bed on the floor, or they have already thrown-up and I need to go clean-up! So Shae comes down from her room in the night and is in a hurry to get to my bathroom (I know this because I pass her on the way to get Jourden a drink because he has already gotten me out of bed with his whining for a "bobbi.") She can't use her toilet she informs me later, because Ashton has used a roll of toilet paper to blow his nose again and she doesn't dare flush the toilet because it will overflow. So she makes it to my bathroom, but not quite to me toilet! To make it worse, and the reason I think she may be sick was the darn county fair. She may have a bug, or it could have been the 10 hours in the sun, the Dippin Dots, sno-cone, kettle corn, huli-huli chicken, soda, Panda Express, parade candy, riding the Tornado, Inverter (twice) Zipper, Yo-Yo and Gravitron. So I'm not sure but what do you think?!! Well remember that menu I just recited, she didn't have quite enough time to get the lid totally lifted! (one time I wish my Hubby didn't have bathroom etiquette, he always shuts the lid!) So picture me trying not to get mad at her, trying to clean up a gut-wrenching mess, in my G's in the middle of the night, then making the bed on my floor, knowing what a long night I have ahead of me---and of course, Jourden by my side every step of the way! I hope you slept well.

Cling-On

2008-08-27T14:43:00.001-07:00

Help! I have a major Cling-on! I am so serious about this that I wish it were funny-but it's not. My adorable 2 year old is (I can almost say "literally") attached to my hip/leg 24 hours a day. I love him so much and I am so glad I get to be with him all day, but he has such a need to by right on me, I beginning to think he has an "issue". I could totally understand if I were a Mom who was gone all day and didn't see him most of his 24 hour period, but he is with me CONSTANTLY. He even sleeps with us still, and has to lay on my arm to sleep! so I am serious when I say 24 hours! If I am sitting, he's on my lap, if I am at the counter, he's between me and the cupboard, if I am in the shower, so is he, even when I have that 10 second private time in the bathroom- WAH LA, there he is! I wish I had a miracle trick of breaking him of his Mommy addiction, so far, nothing. Maybe I should leave him more often and let someone else watch him, that seems like it would be counter-active, who knows. For now I guess I will just try to be kind and loving to him when he's climbing on my lap when I am paying bills, someday soon he will probably think I am not so "cool" and I will be following him around hoping we can "hang-out" together for just a few minutes! Ya gotta love him.

Dad's Rule!

2008-08-21T18:07:00.000-07:00

A lot of times I get so absorbed in being the "Mom", I fail to mention Dad. I brag about my kids, I groan about my kids, I talk about myself and all that I do and all I wish I would do. My children, my past and my accomplishments are always at the for front of my thoughts and probably will be the talk of my blog, but all would fail without my awesome kids Daddy. He is an amazingly hard-worker, a devoted husband and a hands-on parent. He loves our family more than anything in this world and we think he's the best. Love you Daddy!

My Awesome Daddy!

2008-08-21T18:05:00.000-07:00

Let's Go- We Love it Outside!

2008-08-21T10:17:00.000-07:00

Okay- here goes!

2008-08-21T10:11:00.001-07:00

So I got addicted to reading blogs about a month ago and find myself on this dang computer way to often. I have always been very.....nosey? I guess I will call myself that, but my "knowledge" of information has been very handy to many people, many times. I still remember my friends phone number from the 2nd grade and my "crushes" license plate from when I was in 8th grade! My family calls me weekly for some random piece of pointless information. I don't hold very many memories in my brain which saddens me, but my informational mind is awesome, go figure! I decided if I were going to be glued to this blogging business, I might as well be writing and recording my life and not just spying on everyone else. I have always used writing as an emotional outlet. It is so much easier for me to write what I feel as opposed to talking face to face with someone. I express myself so much better with pen than with tongue. So here goes a new addiction for me, I don't really care if this blog is read often, at least I can feel good about sitting on this comfy office chair and letting my feelings flow! I don't work well with guilt!

posted by heidiraftery @ 10:11 AM 1 Comments

Tagged by Rachelle

2008-08-21T10:09:00.001-07:00

4 random things I like about my husband:
His spontenaity
We laugh out heads off- together
He loves being with the family
His kiss

4 movies I'd watch more than once:
The Count of Monte Cristo (fave)
Willy Wonka (the original)
Somekind of Wonderful (totally 80's)
Nacho Libre

4 TV shows I watch:
House
anything on Discovery Health
Biggest Loser
Rob and Big (reruns boo hoo!)

4 places I have been:
Hawaii, Mexican Riviera, Bahamas, New Orleans

4 people who email me regularly:
Geoff, Jamie, Brie

4 favorite foods:
Crab legs
Sushi
Coconut shrimp
Paradise pie

4 places I would like to visit:
New York, Fiji, Switzerland, Italy

4 things I am looking forward to in this coming year:
Disneyland- I am totally addicted
losing more weight
Christmas
no more diapers

posted by heidiraftery @ 1:27 PM 2 Comments