The Frasers and Co

Spiderman has a sister

2011-12-31T11:26:00.001-07:00

Spiderman has a sister...
Her name is Aspen.

UEA: Capitol Reef (day 1)

2011-12-31T07:59:00.000-07:00

Stayed in Thousand Lakes RV Park, in their cabins. It was quite cold for October... but warmed up nicely during the day. Wade and Aspen went down a day early with Grandma and Grandpa... and Brenden came down with Hayden and me.

First day included a stop at the overlook, a walk down the wash for a couple miles and dinner at Cafe Diablo, which was to die for.

Aspen loved using Grandma's hiking sticks... for walking and for stabbing her brothers.

Brenden and Wade enjoyed ascending anything climbable.

Hayden told Aspen that if she climbed rocks she could run into where snakes live, so for the rest of the trip Aspen would warn the boys as they were climbing and hiking:

"Hey Guys... SNAKES HIDE"

Brenden used his boy scout skills and dissected a cactus so we could sample it.

Wade climbed past the safety fence to sit on a ledge, which just about made his parents (and grandparents) have a nervous breakdown.

Great weather, great company, great day.

The funny farm

2011-12-31T07:49:00.000-07:00

I went to help my sister pack her house to move this fall. We had lunch at Marion's and on our way out of town, Aspen and I stopped to see my cousin, Tracy. She had what could be considered a petting zoo at her house. Piglets, a baby calf, bunnies, and more. Aspen was in 7th heaven. I was just happy to get back home.

Wishing for change

2011-12-27T13:51:00.001-07:00

We managed to avoid housework and hit a few stores for after Christmas sales (H&M.. Of course). Aspen's favorite part was the little bridge over some water. A few minutes into our first store, she approached me with a mile wide grin and showed me her find. A dime and a penny she had fished out of the pond. She was so proud of herself.

That's it...I'm moving

2011-12-18T16:38:00.001-07:00

Went to see my sister and her family in Heber today. It isn't too far of a drive, and I hadn't seen them in forever. I left the 20° yucky inversion for Heber's clear skies and 47°. I took a picture as I headed back toward the canyon, and one a bit further into the canyon and yucky air.
Don't tempt me Heber.

Better Days

2011-12-16T05:41:00.001-07:00

I've been up this morning since 4 with a migraine and nausea. Somehow when I'm not feeling so hot, things look more bleak than they are... Because this morning I am really sick of this cold weather. The warm sunshine of summer I took for granted just a few weeks ago is gone, and I've been struggling with finding my happy place ever since.
I'm sure the fact that I haven't ran much lately has NOTHING to do with my outlook.
Actually, it probably has EVERYTHING to do with it.

Willie and Waylon and the boys

2011-12-11T09:19:00.001-07:00

A memorable concert with country legend Willie Nelson and my BFF, Becky.
Willie can still sing like no other.
It was a great venue, outdoors at the Gallivan Center, and we were right toward the front.
Favorite song of the night was Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain.
The song I waited all night to hear, but didn't was Mamas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys.
Thanks Hayden for watching all the kiddos while we went and had a girl night.

Lincoln Logs

2011-12-10T09:40:00.001-07:00

While adding to her endless list of Christmas wishes, Aspen ran across a picture of Lincoln Logs in a toy magazine.
"I want that", she said.
So I went into the boys room, and unearthed some old boxes with toys in them.
It was like Christmas early.
She played for hours.
Not sure I've ever seen cowboys and Indians next to My Little Pony before, but I guess that comes with the territory when a 4 year old girl is in charge.

The Daily Drive

2011-12-08T10:01:00.001-07:00

The drive to Emily's in the morning is either a great experience or a miserable one, depending on the mood of the 4 year old in the house. When it is good, it is very good... Yes, and when it is bad it is horrid.
This past week we parted with these words from her.
"I won't disappoint you. I'll make you proud. I love you with all my heart."
The bad days can't hold a candle to this.

Yeah... I Rock. Old School.

2011-12-07T10:29:00.001-07:00

Long story short...
I've had a few vinyl Donny Osmond and Osmond Brothers records in my possession since I was about 10 (thanks to my Aunt Sheela). Not sure why I have kept them for all these years, other than the fact that I was not sure I could find them in digital format (and Donny's pictures on the INSIDE of the album cover are pretty f.i.n.e.).

We have two of the original Osmond brothers that live in our school boundaries... Donny and Jimmy. I have not been fortunate enough to run into either one, even though I've had Jimmy's son in my class for the past 2 years. I did send my records home with both boys, and had them signed.

Well... the lady in the office knows I have these old records, and that I keep my eyes peeled for either parent to appear at our school. A few weeks ago, I was getting class started, and looked up and there stood Donny. I squealed (a little). My students thought it was a relative, or my birthday, or SOMETHING cool, but didn't know who he was. Amateur youngsters. I was on cloud 9 for the rest of the day. Thanks Linda for bringing him down to say hello.

Yeah... so I have two of his signatures on the same record... at least I got to SEE him sign this one.

My Balloon Lover

2011-12-06T10:17:00.001-07:00

Every trip to the dollar store results in the acquisition of a balloon.

Usually a purple one (but occasionally pink sneaks its way home with us).

Silly girl... can't even bear to part with it while she naps.

The "Damaged" House

2011-12-04T17:59:00.001-07:00

We went for a walk earlier this year, as we did many warm summer evenings. It is usually around the large block by the elementary school, but this time, as we passed a yard and house that has been there each time, we noticed the house front door was opened and the house appeared abandoned.

We went in and explored. From that day on, Aspen called it the "damaged house" each time we would pass. She insisted on showing it to Wade, so I took along my camera.

I love the outside architecture of this house. The colors, the lines, the vegetation. The yard was amazing. Full-grown overhanging trees in the yard that left you unaware that the main road with much traffic was just in front of the house. Just peace and quiet.

The back yard and front yard had day lilies, raspberries, ivy, wild roses, and peonies.

Then just a few weeks after our visit, we drove by the damaged house and the trees had started to be chopped down, one at a time, over the course of weeks, until there were none left.

I dreamt about the house for the next couple nights. I dreamt about sneaking over and saving the plants for my yard, pretty sure they were headed for demolition next. It made me sad. All this history and growth... removed for the "new and improved" sure to take it's place.

I drove by yesterday.

The house was taken down this week.

Nothing remains.

An empty lot.

All in the name of progress.

I never did make it over to save the plants,

but I did sneak in and save a little shutter from a small window.

My earrings hang on it now.

I would much rather have the peonies.

this was written on the wall of the upstairs of the house.

Deer Valley Getaway

2011-11-15T06:07:00.001-07:00

Hayden's birthday present this year from his parents was a two night stay at The Chateaux - Silver Lake in Deer Valley. We will definitely remember this place for future reference! It was quiet, mountainous, with our own balcony to sit and listen to the breeze blow through the aspen trees. Our favorite parts were breakfast at Stein Erickson lodge and riding the ski lift to the top of the ridge and being able to take in such amazing spectacular views without all the effort of a big hike.

Wade and Aspen were able to come with us. Pretty sure Wade is getting spoiled with all of his get-aways this summer.

Definitely a DO OVER place.
We totally loved it.
Thanks Frank & Debra!

Two Times the "FUN"

2011-11-07T19:32:00.000-07:00

Remember back in July when my cat went missing?

When I paid $95 to get her out of the animal shelter...

Then paid $70 at the vet when she was so sick and not eating...

She had been acting strange since she got home from the shelter.

She hid in the tub and under Aspen's dresser.

She wouldn't come downstairs, where she usually LOVED to hang out and hide.

She wouldn't use her litter box.

She slept with Aspen and not on my head, which was uncommon.

We fully expected her to not make it through the night after bringing her home from the vet, but she recovered and grew stronger.

She kept attempting to sneak out of the house.

One night we are lying on bed and there she was... outside our bedroom window, begging to get in.

I let her in.

Fast forward two days.

We are sitting downstairs with the cat on our lap, when Aspen comes down and says "The cat is upstairs".

Yeah... we figured it was our all black cat, Mazda, who lives outside.

Aspen insisted it was the new cat, so I made her bring it down.

Yeah...

we saved a cat...

NOT our cat.

$170.

They look EXACTLY EXACTLY the same, except for one little piece of white on the our original cat's nose.

Now we have twin cats, the latter appropriately named.

Mica (the original) and POSER, the impostor cat.

Poser... with the black nose.

Mica... with a piece of white on her nose.

This is why Aspen loves the new cat.

Aspen's 4th Birthday Party

2011-11-02T16:26:00.003-06:00

Aspen's 4th Birthday

When it comes to throwing parties... I am an EPIC FAIL.

Thank heavens for Monkey Island in Lehi.

Invitations + cake + friends = SUCCESS!!

Aspen was able to see her friends from daycare that she had missed since summer began, and I was able to relax (if that is possible with 10 kids under the age of 5), take pictures, and check my email via wireless internet.

Monkey Island... thanks for redeeming my party-throwing reputation!

Pinterest... I love you

2011-10-16T20:23:00.001-06:00

I've been a Pinterest user for a few weeks now.

ADDICTED!!!!

It's an online bulletin board to put ideas I've found online.

(or from the 300+ blogs I follow).

I've had a ton of ideas flagged in my email,

saved on my computer...

and so many take up space in my browser bookmarks.

This is SOOO much easier!

The one big problem... TIME.

Time spent playing on Pinterest instead of actually doing something crafty.

However... Aspen and I have done great the last week. All the items in the picture are things we have put together this week. These were all ideas we found on Pinterest.

Yeah... Pinterest is my new friend.

Captain Wade

2011-10-16T20:05:00.001-06:00

On a whim, we took an overlook picture on our first hike this summer to Mt. Olympus. It seemed like a great way to document our adventures we had on our hikes.

Next summer... Mount Timpanogas!

Donut Falls

2011-10-12T21:27:00.001-06:00

We made it to Donut Falls on Labor Day. It was crazy busy. Wade doesn't remember that we took him here in 2004. I had to send him pictures to prove it. Aspen has become quite the little hiker this summer. This trail was easy for her (except for the face-plant into the dirt toward the end of the trip...side-effect of running on a rocky trail).

The weather was perfect.

Hayden was a good sport.

Wade and I climbed up to the falls (and gave Hayden more gray hairs than he already has).

The trail took it out of her.

3 weeks later

2011-10-12T21:03:00.000-06:00

The good part about sacrificing my body to a marathon:

The bragging rights with my vinyl sticker on my car

The bad part about sacrificing my body to a marathon:

3 toes that will lose their original toe nails.

Yeah... it was worth it!

cold

2011-10-08T09:46:00.001-06:00

It was the first really cold morning of the fall season and I was actually excited to run in it. It was beautiful and no one else was out.

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Best Summer EVER!!

2011-09-26T18:01:00.000-06:00

Pretty much the best summer EVER.
Why?
I'm not sure.
Perhaps it is because we didn't have our "bucket list" to have to answer to.
Perhaps it is that my garden was smaller, therefore my time was more plentiful.
Perhaps it was because I didn't listen to the hesitation of my 15 year old, and drug him out for things I knew he would later be glad he did.
Whatever it was... it was wonderful.
We swam, and hiked, and traveled, and talked, and walked, and hiked, and swam.
We cooked, and jumped on the tramp, and so many other relaxing fun things.

I will forever be behind if I expect to update each thing with a long post, so each picture of our adventures gets a tagline, a "who was there", dates for the picture, and the most memorable part of the event. These will be my next several posts.

26.2 ... DONE!

2011-09-25T20:25:00.001-06:00

I ran a marathon.

I ran a marathon!

I ran a marathon!!!

Still can't believe that it happened.

I can't believe we survived.

I can't believe, looking back at the weather, that we pushed through.

It was a nice, organized race. Buses were on time, race was on time... only down side was the rain for the 30 minutes before the race, that ended before the race started. However, it was not to be the last we saw of the rain.

Starting line: mountain men in full dress with rifles fired the shots to start the race.

Mile 1: passed a sign reading HYRUM: 16 miles, LOGAN: 22 miles. Reality check.

Mile 3: Flags lined the road leading into the aid station. Way cool.

Mile 4: A little fall of rain

Mile 6: rain ended, I left my rain jacket (aka black garbage bag) on the side of the road

Miles 1-14: Blacksmith Fork Canyon scenery... amazing. Clouds on the mountainside. Rain on the road. River, cattails, changing of the leaves on the trees. Also had many compliments and laughs regarding our shirts we made for the race that said "WTF?? Where's the Finish??"

Mile 7: Hail storm (without my "rain jacket")

Mile 11: Crazy crazy downpour of rain.

Mile 14: still crazy downpour combined with lightening and thunder.

Mile 15: crazy downpour with pelting hail. We had to keep our heads down just to not get hit in the face.

Mile 16: so wet we could feel the water running down our backs, down our legs and into our shoes. Shoes weigh a ton.
Mile 18: I hear "HEY DIP$#*T!" and turn to see a Honeyville neighbor from back in the day. It was great to see her (and her family at the aid station at mile 3). Not many people who can get away with such terms of endearment... she is definitely one of them.

Mile 20: rain (sort of) subsides.

Mile 20:... this is when I envisioned hitting my LIMIT, but surprisingly, I felt good. Perhaps it was the MANY stops at aid stations. Maybe it was the overdose of ibuprofen along the way. Maybe it was the optimism that comes with finally not having to run in pouring rain. Maybe it was being able to see my family cheering us on (and taking my soaking jackets from me).

Mile 24: Emotional just seeing Arica's family holding a sign with our names on it, cheering us on.

Mile 26: I can smell the end from here. We come around the corner and see the finish, and I get teary eyed. WE DID IT! Aspen comes running out from the crowd and runs across the finish with Arica and I. It still feels surreal that we finished it. It wasn't the most amazing time (5:26:23), but it leaves room for improvement for next time (did I just say NEXT TIME???)

Sadly, I had intentionally locked my keys in the car thinking Hayden had his lock set.
WrOnG!
Sat in the cold rain, felling my muscles get cold and tighten up, shivering, while waiting for the Hyundai Roadside Assistance dude to show up. Lunch at Center Street Grill. A surprise spontaneous stay that night at Sherwood Hills (which I was glad for just so I could shower and warm up).

Thanks to my amazing husband who spent his whole morning chasing us in the rain and driving around Wade and Aspen. Thanks to my kids for coming, and thanks to Arica for the opportunity to share this experience with someone as cool as she is (and for putting up with my non-stop talking)

Before race day: The days leading up to the big event were filled with nerves and anxiety. Friday was Wade's cross country meet... then off to Logan to get my bib number, dinner at Maddox Ranch House, and check in at our lovely motel. There was no room at the inn anywhere in Logan, or Tremonton... or Brigham City, for that matter. Thanks to Wade, we found a little hometown "off the radar" motel in Tremonton to stay in. It was surprisingly decent. Thanks to the Sandman for the accommodations!

Old School Football

2011-09-15T15:03:00.002-06:00

The BYU / Utah football game is on Saturday. I am sure I'll be half dead by kick-off time, so in honor of the game, I found this cute picture on Snow College Alumni facebook page, since I am a fellow badger, and the guy in red shorts... yeah... that's Bronco Mendenhall.

GO UTES!

The countdown begins...

2011-09-13T19:22:00.000-06:00

Back in April, I signed up for a marathon.

Many long, long Saturdays later, here I am...

4 days away from the Top of Utah Marathon.

More than once I have questioned my sanity

(as has my husband... but mostly when I'm gone for 4+ hours on Saturdays).

I am nervous...

the nerves set in on Sunday when I realized I was under a week away.

I am excited...

excited to be faced with the challenge, and excited to have someone to run it with.

I am anxious...

Just let me not have to teach this week, and lets get up there and get this started.

I have worried about everything

from my toes and feet and knees,

to what to eat and drink even four days before the race.

I am proud of myself for getting to this point.

I have told Hayden and Arica to remind me when I try to sign up for another race,

about the pain and agony each Saturday has brought.

However...come Saturday

about 12:30pm

as I cross the finish line

I'm sure all that will be forgotten.

I'm sure I'll be looking for another place to throw down my 26.2.

Looking for more Saturdays to sacrifice to the cause.

Because, unless you push yourself beyond what you EVER thought you could do...

You don't realize you could do it all along.

4 days... and counting.

Bring it on.

I got my shoes, mom

2011-09-08T22:46:00.001-06:00

We GET to drive by Trafalga each day on our way home from school, after picking Aspen up from Emily's. Every day that the water fall is going, she lets me know that it is NOT closed (like we tell her it is so often). Tuesday, she came home, got her non-flip-flop shoes on, and grabbed me by the hand and said "Let's go climbing... I'm ready".

I gave in.
I need to more often.
She had a blast and stayed on the wall CONSISTENTLY for a good 45 minutes.
I think she likes the hanging from the rope on the way down almost as much as she likes the climb up.

I went again with her yesterday as well... she is pretty good. It is the most recent passion of hers.
And with the cooler weather in store, the water falls should be going off shortly for the afternoons... which means :) that it is REALLY REALLY hard to tell if it is closed or not. Pretty sure it's closed. No water... no open.

At least that's the story I'm sticking to.

Doctor, doctor

2011-09-08T22:31:00.000-06:00

Aspen has been having issues with her bladder since she was about 2. Lately, with kindergarten quickly approaching next year, we realize we need to get some things checked so she is not humiliated in front of friends. We took her to Utah Valley RMH to have an ultrasound done on her kidneys and her bladder, and then a VCUG to test for any reflux in the bladder. Most everything turned out looking good, other than the amount of liquid the girl can discharge, even on a day when she hasn't had anything to eat or drink. They gave her some meds that helped her relax and to not remember anything about the procedure when it was all over. She had fun, if that can be said of a procedure.

That night she is sitting on her bed and calls me in.
"Mom the cat peed in here"
"Where?"
"Right here, under my bum"

Yeah... so we still have the bladder problem...
and thankfully, we also have an appointment to see someone at the University of Utah on the 29th.
She is such a great sport.

Happy Valentines Day... Hayden's version

2011-09-08T22:07:00.000-06:00

For Valentine's Day this year Hayden gave me a "golden ticket". Pick any concert you want to attend, and that will be your valentine's gift.

So... I checked what was coming to town in the next few months.

Nothing I was willing to cash in my "ticket" for, so I waited.

I knew a couple bands/groups that I wanted to see were slated to come to town in the fall, so I figured I would wait a bit, and see what the schedule looked like.

Middle of April rolls around and Hayden hands me his computer and says "Happy Valentines Day". On the screen was a receipt for tickets to CHEYENNE DAYS to see his favorite band, Zac Brown Band.

Apparently, I waited too long (although no expiration date was ever written or implied on my gift).

So, the end of July found us flying into Denver, and driving to Cheyenne for the concert.

Cheyenne Days has a culture all of it's own. I could people watch all day, and I've never so many pretend cowboys in my life. (Pretend cowboy = someone sporting boots that look they have never seen a pile of cow crap... EVER... or wearing the cowboy shirt that still has the creases in it from the initial packaging)

We had GA tickets, and sat in line to get in an hour before the gates opened (which was an hour before the OPENING band of 3 went on). We were at the front of our section with a great view!

The opening gal, Sonia Leigh, was amazing (I need to find some of her stuff and download it). Zac Brown, however, definitely was worth the trip, the drive, and the time spent in line! He was a great performer, sounded good live, and sang the song that always makes me cry: Highway 20 Ride.

Lesson learned from the trip... next time, we stay in Cheyenne. Even with sneaking out of the massive crowds before the encore, and getting out of the parking fiasco without a hitch, we didn't get back into Denver until 2am. That was only after taking turns driving, rolling down windows, stopping for a little break to revive ourselves.

I was able to get my long run in while in Denver. They have an amazing river front trail that runs for miles. It was a warm morning, but I started early enough... ran past many many homeless people sleeping along the river.

We stayed at the Teatro, just a block away from the theater district. We rented bikes and rode around town. On the way to Cheyenne we stopped and had lunch with an old college buddy I hadn't seen for 20+ years. The second night in Denver we had dinner at the Yard House with Hayden's cousin, Jenn, he hadn't seen in years, and we topped off the last evening by having dinner with an old co-worker at the Cheesecake Factory.

Lots of good food.
Great time together.
Good company... especially the crazy guy who planned this whole thing.

THAT is one SWEET hat, Hayden!!

before it started

first hour of the show

by the end... it was packed, from one end to the other

The Uintah's... from the air

the flight in to Denver

at the end of 16th street mall

Chop!

2011-08-26T05:49:00.001-06:00

While combing Aspen's hair a couple of mornings ago, a large long piece of hair came out. I was running late and it was early so I figured I'd deal with the cause of it later...thinking perhaps she was losing hair.

When I got her home that afternoon and took a good look at her I realized she was sporting a mullet. Nice.
"i didn't want it long on the sides anymore, mom, so I cut it".
I found my dress cutting scissors down stairs next to a larger pile of her beautiful locks.

Thanks to Nicole for an emergency fix of the hair...she looks much better than before. Just hoping it continues to grow as fast as it did before she cut it.

Summer recap... part 1

2011-08-14T09:42:00.002-06:00

School starts again for me on Wednesday and, as always, I start bemoaning the fact that summer has come to an end. It has been a great summer. The first two weeks were PERFECT, with hikes and water park, Las Vegas, 4th of July celebration, and just plain relaxation. The last week... not so much. Not because of anything that happens, but just because I start feeling sad that it is almost over, sad that once school starts the weather changes and winter is just around the corner. Sad that chilling with Aspen and hanging with Wade is now deduced to just the weekends.

So... instead of sitting and worrying that my last two days aren't going to be "full" enough to get all the things left on our summer TO-DO list fit in, I'm going to highlight how great this summer has been.

4th of July was fun this year, because it was on a Monday. This meant that some fireworks shows were held on Saturday, some on Sunday, and some on Monday. This was just fine with Aspen, who could have done fireworks every night. We bought a little pack, and she and Wade lit them on Sunday night. Aspen was so excited, she kept doing her "pose" (one hand on hip and sticking her hip off to one side) and singing "OH YEAH, it's fireworks time... It's OUR fireworks time"

Monday was the big fireworks show, so we headed to Sugarhouse park. Aspen did not get very far away from Wade the entire time he was here. She is his little buddy, and he is her hero. She doesn't let a day go by when she isn't sitting on his lap, climbing on his back, dragging him along to jump on the tramp or play dolls. He is a great sport.

Gateway is always one of our favorite summer stops. Aspen is always tentative about getting wet, but after 5 minutes is usually drenched from head to toe. She found a friend while there this time, and he was really excited to get his picture taken. I got a couple pics of the two of them together, but the best shot was him showing off for the camera.

The "helpful" child

2011-08-10T17:11:00.001-06:00

Aspen watered the plants the other day...doing me a favor, apparently. But any plants watered for six hours with a hose on full blast creates a problem.

This problem resulted in both basement bedrooms packed up (including my massive scrapbook stash) and some new carpet. Thank heavens the only thing that came out if it harmed was the carpet...and I had the "opportunity" to paint the rooms as well.
Lucky me.

Graduation. Dirty Dash. Les Mis.

2011-08-09T08:07:00.000-06:00

I only have one picture from my graduation (and not a very good one at that), so I tend to make up for it by taking too many of my own kids and events. I made Brenden a lei with treats and I threw in some much needed headphones for his Alaskan adventure this summer. It was fun to see him show his necklace and headphones off to friends, because he doesn't say much to me about whether or not he likes things... I have to go by his interactions with his friends. It was a hit.

showing off the goods to Landon Hobbs

getting his handshake from principal Gary Allen

THE GUYS: Benjy Christensen, Kallton Josephson and Brenden

We stayed at University Inn while we were up north. What would a graduation in Logan be without a little overnight stay and some fun? I, of course, had to show off the Alva C. Snow hall to my kids and in-laws. Top it off with Aggie ice cream and it was a perfect stay.

Graduation was on Thursday...
Brenden arrived in Lehi Friday night around midnight...
Saturday was my dirty dash race at 10 and a broadway production of Les Mis at 2. I drug Brenden along to the race to be our photographer, but couldn't help but see a prime opportunity for some mother/son crazy fun. After rounding up some too-large shoes from the donation pile and giving Brenden one of the 2 pairs of shorts that I wore to the race, he was set to be one of our runners on our team.
What a MUDDY, fun, MESSY race!
Brenden wasn't about to sit around and wait for all of us slow people, so he took off. As I saw him on a looping part of the course around mile 2, he said "hurry up, I'll wait for you at the top of the slide". When I came up to the top of the hill, he threw me into the mud. We checked the time at this point and it was 11:30. We had tickets to Les Mis at 2pm and still had to get home and shower, but we couldn't go down the big slide until our team had all caught up with us. I was getting nervous.
The last muddy puddle just before the finish line was a bit suspicious. Anyone who grows up on a farm knows the smell of cow poop from a mile away, and this smelled strangely familiar to this farm girl. I did not spend any extra time in it, that is for sure.

before (notice Brenden's BLUE shirt)

no blue left on Brenden's shirt

Fun amazing race. So glad to have shared this with Brenden. But now... the real race was on.
12:15... back to our car
12:45... pulled in to Lehi (covered in mud)
1:25... pulled out of the driveway
1:55... parked the car 2 blocks away from Capitol Theater
2:00... ran into the theater and the ushers said "30 seconds to doors closing"
found our seats and sat down, and the production began.
It doesn't get much tighter, time-wise, than that!!

What to say about Les Mis? The scene changes were amazing. The singing was awesome. Sharing it with Brenden (who had not been to this production before) was the best part. He was scheduled to leave for Alaska 3 days later, and it was so nice to just have mom solo time.

Topped off the evening with dinner with Hayden, Wade and Aspen at Macaroni Grill.

Perfect Day!!

Crazy fun filled day.

Reasons I run

2011-08-09T07:44:00.000-06:00

I never really was a runner growing up. I did track, but cross country was for the wierdos... and besides, who was crazy enough to just go run 5 miles??

I knew people who ran... but they were superhuman.

My Aunt Sheela always amazed me. She would get up hours before everyone was awake and just go run.

When I was teaching in Brigham City, Barb Klein (a fellow co-worker) was another who I took note of. While we played basketball after school in the winter, she would do laps around the gym to get ready for her next race. Not a very big gym either.

Crazy people.

When I moved to Lehi, a co-worker, Annette, had a running poster on her wall, and said she was training for a marathon. WOW, how does someone just DO a marathon, and WHY would someone do it more than once??

Crazy people.

I had to admire them.

I was envious in some ways.

Even jealous.

I started running purely by accident.

My version of "running" was go out, run for half a mile, walk to recover, run another half mile. I was good with that. One fateful day, a gal I hadn't met before, Misty, came to run with us. When we hit the half mile mark, and I started walking she protested, and dragged me on a two mile (no walking) run.

I was dying.

I was tired.

I couldn't stop talking about it all day to poor Hayden.

I was so proud of myself.

That was the summer of 2005.

And the rest, as they say... is history.

Jen and Misty... It all started with them.

2006: first 5k (with Misty and Jen). Running with Angels @ Thanksgiving Point.

Lavender Days 5k (with Misty and Jen)

2007: Scheutzenfest 5k. Up the side of a freaking mountain. I won for my age group!!

2008: Running with Angels (with Misty and Brenden). Brenden won 1st place!!

Lavender Days 5k (with Brenden)

2009: first half marathon (with my crazy running sisters, Liz and Kara). Provo River Trail

2010: Hobble Creek half marathon (with Misty)

Snow Canyon half marathon PR (that's personal record) St. George.

2011: Salt Lake half marathon (with Jocelyn)

Dirty Dash (with Jocelyn and Brenden). This one was memorable, to say the least.

Lehi Roundup 10k (with Jocelyn). I won for my age group (there were 3 of us :)

I'm sure I missed a few races that I will have to go back and fill in.

I am not fast by any means. Hayden informs me that 50% of running talent comes from hard work and training and the other 50% comes from what you are born with... and then informs me that I just wasn't born with it. Sad but true. I definitely don't run to win, because that just won't happen.

So why do I run?

What makes getting up in 10 degree weather in the winter to run even worth it?

(or waking up at 4:50am to sneak in an 8 miler before Hayden leaves for work)

These are MY reasons:

my sanity. I am cheerful and positive on days I run. Not so much on days I skip.

my boys. I love sharing this passion with them, and sharing race adventures.

my time solo. Time to just think in the morning while taking in the views.

the world untouched. It is amazing the beauty that so many "sleep-in" people miss out on.

the challenge. Nothing like breaking barriers for myself. Love being able to say BEEN THERE DONE THAT.

I am at peace. It took me a couple years to finally realize how much I just love to run. All is right with the world when I have my shoes on and am exploring new territory.

aspen. She loves to run because I love to run.

So this spring I got a crazy notion. I decided I was going to tackle the race of all races and sign up for a MARATHON. I of course had to have someone else to share in the misery/love, so I talked a co-worker, Arica, into this insane idea with me, and we were off and running.

Literally.

So come September 17th... after many Saturday's filled with 4 hours of nonstop running, we will be attempting to survive a full 26.2 miles.

I question my sanity.

My knees and feet question my sanity (usually after my long runs).

But... I am up for taking on the challenge.

I am up for being able to say I DID IT.

And I look forward to September 18th... when I can go back to running for the love of it, instead of running because the training schedule says so.

These are pictures from my cell phone I took while running.

A little Q & A

2011-07-22T20:12:00.001-06:00

Wade and I were playing a word association game. I would name a state and he would say what came to hos mind.

Me: Hawaii
Wade: palm trees

Me: California
Wade: roads

Me: Idaho
Wade: potatoes

Me: Colorado
Wade: rivers

Me: Washington
Wade: rain

Me: Kansas
Wade: frying pans
FRYING PANS????
"I don't know why", he said... "That's just what I thought of."

I love this kid.

A little worried

2011-07-21T21:06:00.001-06:00

Aspen is a bit nervous about the whole "someone might buy our house" thing. She is afraid of leaving all her things for someone else to play with...

So... To prevent that from happening, she has gone around the house over the course of several days and filled her bags and purses with her favorite things. They go with us each time we go anywhere...just in case.

Mica... found

2011-07-10T21:50:00.000-06:00

Hayden is more of a dog dude than he is a cat lover. So I had to be sneaky in acquiring this lovely feline about 4 years ago. I had a student that brought a kitty to school in the hopes that I would adopt it. It was so cute, and I knew I'd have an uphill battle getting Hayden to be willing to take her on.

Did you know if you supposedly find a cat hiding in the garage, there is no return to sender possible :) So Mica stayed (named after one of my students)... finally becoming more comfortable with us that she was able to leave the hiding spot in the basement and sleep on my feet each night and sit on Hayd's lap on the couch. Even so comfortable that she was able to sneak out of the house once in awhile for a few hours.

The other night, a few hours turned into a few days... which turned into picking her up from the animal shelter. We debated on not claiming her when the tab was $95 for her release. She looked so afraid. We brought her home, she was shedding like crazy and irritable and afraid. Aspen, however, was elated to have her back. She has been dragging her around the house since her return. Mica has hardly left my bed. We are glad to have her back.

She is not leaving the house.

Day 15: Action (and wish fulfilled)

2011-07-09T20:12:00.000-06:00

It has been a good year or so since we have told her she wasn't tall enough to ride the roller coaster, so she has been eating food (bribery on our part) and measuring herself waiting for the day she was tall enough to ride. Thank heavens for short height requirements at the local carnivals.

Day 14: someone I love

2011-07-07T08:08:00.000-06:00

It has been fun to watch these two become such good buddies this past month. Brenden is gone for the summer, so they have had to kinda rely on each other for entertainment. She thinks he walks on water. I think I love them both so much. This truly has been the BEST summer that I can remember.

Mt Olympus and Y mountain

2011-07-04T19:45:00.000-06:00

Wade's love language is "time spent together", but getting him out of the house to do something is nearly impossible. While Aspen was out of town on Wednesday visiting her grandma, I dragged Wade out for a hike.

Well... Let me restate that.

I drove to the hiking location, and he drug my old body up the mountain.

Whomever said that if you can run X amount of miles, you surely can hike.... was sorely mistaken.

My friend John suggested a few hikes for us and then asked if I was tough enough to take on Mount Olympus. Yeah, I wish he wouldn't have said that because my ego had to prove that I COULD do it.

Dumb ego.

You are so grounded for next hike.

I was dying by mile 1, and was really hurting by mile 2.5. The last big .25 mile climb to the top, we passed on because we were dead tired, and it looked very intimidating (and we were basically out of water) and because I am old and wussy.

The trip down should have been much easier than going up, but considering I wore my barefoot shoes, it was NOT GOOD. Going up, my foot hit the ground on my pads of my feet, using mostly toes to climb. Going down, my toes were pushed into the front sections of my toe shoes because of the incline, and rocks would hit my heels and arch of my foot. I counted 8 blisters when I got home. My heels still feel bruised 10 days later. I haven't put on my toe shoes since I have been home, but plan on running in them tomorrow.

As a solution to our little water problem, we found a spring coming out of the side of the mountain on our way back down. I could hear grandpa Frank cautioning us as the the many ill effects we would suffer from drinking it, but figured water coming directly from the mountain had to be just about as filtered as you could get. So far, there have been no side effects. So there Grandpa!!

Last week, in order to make myself feel less wussy, I planned an easier hike for the both of us. Aspen went to visit Emily (sitter), and Wade and I hiked to Y mountain. Yeah, yeah... I know... Y mountain is a BYU thing. The view was worth all the crap I had to take for it from my fellow Utah/USU fans. The morning was cool, the path was wide but steep, and it wasn't very long. I think Wade has caught my vision (finally) with this whole hiking thing. I have only been bugging him to go hiking with me now for 4 years. We are hoping to get in the big Mount Timpanogas climb before summer ends. It will be an all day event, with a round trip total of 15 miles.

I won't be wearing my barefoot shoes.

Monkey

2011-06-29T07:23:00.000-06:00

I never know what I am going to get lately from Aspen. Today it was "mom, come help me climb this tree". I knew she was already filthy from making mud pies in the backyard, so a little tree dirt wasn't going to do much damage.
Oh well... this just helps her be a little more "tom-boyish" and a little less "princessy", right?

Right again

2011-06-25T18:46:00.003-06:00

A race I shouldn't have ran combined with an hour and a half of direct sun for the Lehi roundup parade, and I have a headache that has not let up all day.
I should have heeded Hayden's advice and spent the morning in bed relaxing.

June 13: (yes... I'm behind) Reminds me of childhood

2011-06-24T12:15:00.000-06:00

More than anything this time of year, the smell of these wonderful (weedy) trees reminds me of growing up. I can't get enough of them. The sweet smell of Russian olive trees. The lovely memories of the prickly things that we had to cut down from the fields when I was growing up. Good memories.

A good laugh

2011-06-17T13:30:00.001-06:00

We went to pick out a cake today. Aspen is quite particular. She wanted a dinosaur cake...again. So I grabbed one and she protested.
"not the grumpy dinosaur, I want the smiley one".
I laughed for five minutes.

A little bit of music... A little bit of Ed

2011-06-14T10:17:00.001-06:00

Hayden introduced me to the musical group LIVE when we first met. I has heard some of their music before but since then have fallen in love with their sound. The group disbanded in the last couple years and the lead singer, Ed Kowalcyzk, was in town on saturday. The only thing better than an hour of listening to him, was being able to be standing in the right spot afterwards and being asked if we would like to meet Ed.
Ummmm...yeah.
Hello.
Too bad my good camera battery was dead and this the picture I came away with. Thanks for a fun night Hayden.

June 12th: Silhouette

2011-06-13T22:16:00.000-06:00

Long Beach, CA
2006

Why I love summer

2011-06-13T10:14:00.001-06:00

The best and most amazing part of summer is that I get to spend it with this girl.

As she climbed in bed with me this morning to cuddle, she wrapped her arms around my neck and said "your my best friend". One day she won't think so... so, until that day, I'll be drinking in these moments, realizing all too well that they don't last.

June 11th: Sun Flare

2011-06-12T22:22:00.000-06:00

June 10th: An animal

2011-06-12T21:17:00.000-06:00

Toby is so big he is sometimes mistaken for a small horse... mostly by Aspen, who likes to ride him.
He is getting old, has arthritis and more gray hair everyday.
He has a red KONG toy that is his kryptonite. He ran through a bonfire to get it once... not sure if that means he has a KONG addiction, or if it says something about his intelligence... or both.
We got him as a middle aged skinny dog two years ago, and he has put on a good 40 pounds since then.

June 9th: Fresh Fruit

2011-06-12T18:50:00.002-06:00

Bananas and grapes... that is pretty much all the "fresh fruit" we see at our house. Fresh is a relative term at our house... FRESH just means they aren't brown yet.

June 8th: Sunset

2011-06-10T21:52:00.000-06:00

While at a conference in Phoenix, I had the opportunity to hike up Camelback Mountain. The cool part... being at the top at sunset. The NOT cool part... hiking down 1.3 miles with no daylight.

June 7th: High Angle

2011-06-10T21:45:00.000-06:00

June 5th: My Breakfast

2011-06-09T14:54:00.001-06:00

It has been a crazy week. So much to write about: summer, graduation, mud race, Les Mis, Kids growing up, airport, etc. I have been logging my pictures for blog challenge as well, which is proving to be a bit more challenging than originally anticipated.

Sunday morning I was double lucky. Hayden held down the fort while I ran a long run AND he made me breakfast! Hashbrowns, home grown eggs (thanks to Amber next door), bacon (extra crispy, the way I like it) and sausage. Love you Hayd. Thanks for spoiling me!

June 4: clouds

2011-06-04T23:11:00.003-06:00

June 3rd: Hands

2011-06-03T21:01:00.000-06:00

My hands say a lot about me:

I am not a high maintenance chick and I rarely, if ever, do nail polish.
I usually have yard dirt I am cleaning from under my nails.
I am related to my mother. I always used to run my fingers along her veins when growing up, and now Aspen does it to me.
I've had too much sun for my own good over the years.
I bite my cuticles.
I am a hard worker.

June 2nd: My Favorite Shoes

2011-06-02T09:46:00.000-06:00

Much to Hayden's dismay, these are my recent favorite shoes. He says I look like a burn patient, but I didn't get them for their fashion statement (which is NONE). I am trying to help my running form improve, and these are supposed to do that. They are comfortable and I am getting used to them. Perhaps if I were to wear them on a regular basis (other than breaking them in or running) I might get a more fashionable color.

June 1st: "Self" Portrait

2011-06-01T21:43:00.000-06:00

Not sure if having Aspen take them counts as SELF-portrait, but she wouldn't give me back the camera once I had it out.

Can't believe it is already June.

Brenden graduates tomorrow.

My summer is well underway, and it has been cold this first week off.

Most mornings have been in the upper 30's.

Time to get our summer bucket list figured out.

Do-over

2011-05-29T20:04:00.001-06:00

So I didn't do so well with the 30 day blog challenge. Sometimes it is tough to come up with things to say for a given prompt.

A 30 day PHOTO challenge, however... I'm all over that idea. No words and I get to play with my camera.

Bring it on!

Rapunzel Effect

2011-05-24T21:31:00.000-06:00

With the release of TANGLED, came the obsession with long hair. The only saving grace from Aspen insisting that her hair be allowed to grow to the floor is having to brush it after bath time. She actually let me talk her in to getting it cut, and it is PERFECT for her, so easy to take care of, and (best of all) so easy to brush after bath.

End of an era & growing pains

2011-05-22T18:38:00.002-06:00

Hard to quite describe the emotions and feelings of this past weekend. My son finished his high school running career at state, running in the 1 and 2 mile. This marks the end of a 3 year running era that has left his name in the books, Bear River high school with a cross country title, 2 regions championships, several individual medals and honors, and many ventures to fields and tracks across the state to watch him run. He finished 12th in both races, but it wasn't so much the time or the place of his finish that brought out my emotions, as it was seeing him disappointed with his finish. There is no more "next year" to prove himself or to do better. How much more can he ask of himself than to put it all on the line at the end of the day? Not much. I am so proud of him and the running legacy he has left behind. It has been a pleasure to watch him run, to cheer him on, to share in his nerves of every race. He is not the most demonstrative child when it comes to affection, and I am a bawl baby, so while he keeps his feelings regarding the end of his running career to himself, I just cry.

Cry because I hate to see him disappoint himself.
Because I will miss seeing him race and run.
Because I fear he will put running away and lose the love of it.
Cry because my little boy full of attitude and sarcasm and spunk is moving on.
Because his summer will be spent 2000 miles away from me, working in Alaska.
Because life goes on and babies grow up.

As this marks an end of an era, a new one begins. Wade ran this year as a freshman, and will be running again next year. And three years from now, I'm sure I'll feel this way again... sad and excited to see him grow up and move on.
I love you guys!
You will always be my little boys.

4 more minutes...

2011-05-18T10:07:00.000-06:00

Not sure how the number 4 was selected.

When she wants more it is always "FOUR more minutes"

Time to turn off the tv.

"FOUR more minutes"

Lets get out of the tub and get you dressed.

"FOUR more minutes"

No more books tonight, time for bed.

"FOUR more minutes"

Time to go home (from a myriad of places)

"FOUR more minutes"

How do I resist that?

I can't.

New "Gobbles"

2011-05-16T21:23:00.000-06:00

Aspen took a swim class in January at the local recreation center. Before the lessons, she was not able to dip her face in the water, or anything close to swimming. Two weeks later, she was able to dive to the floor of the pool, and do some version of swimming.

She has only gotten more brave and daring since I ordered the swim goggles, which she calls her "gobbles". She loves swimming along where she is still able to touch the bottom, opening her eyes and looking at me under water, and grinning from ear to ear. She is a little fish.

If at first you don't succeed...

2011-05-13T15:15:00.001-06:00

1 lap remaining of 1 mile. Wednesday May 11, 2011

Sometimes the most valuable lessons don't come from our accomplishments or achievements. They come from what happens when things don't go the way we want them or planned them to go.

Brenden had region track at Ben Lomond High school this week, and was running the 1 mile on Wednesday and the 2 mile and 800 meter on Thursday. I am a nervous parent, especially when I can not be at an event. I think I called or texted him relentlessly that afternoon until he finally returned my call. He was slated to take first in the 1 mile. He WAS taking first in the 1 mile... at lap 3 (picture above) and as he was coming in to the final stretch of lap 4. With 10 yards to go, he ran out of gas, and tripped and fell onto the track, with two runners one step behind him. Only the top 4 runners in each event get to proceed to state finals. Brenden, with his arm scraped up and his plans of winning now evaporated, got up from the ground, started running again, and still qualified for state by coming in 4th.

The next day he ended up squeezing out a win in the 2 mile in a tight race at the finish and qualified for the 800 by coming in 4th place, but for me, region this year was more about the race on the first day. I am so proud of him and how he is such a determined person. So amazed that he came back fighting the next day even more determined to make his mark and make up for his fall. I love you bud. Good luck at state next week!

START of 2 mile

LAP 3 of 2 mile race

LAP 5

Last 10 yards of 2 mile.

A bunch of FIRSTS

2011-05-12T12:36:00.000-06:00

We got to spend Easter in Ephraim with Hayden's parents. We drove down early enough to make it to the egg hunt, but because of the weather, it ended up being more of a candy hand out. Aspen had never done an egg hunt, never seen an easter bunny before, nor have we colored eggs before. After the egg hunt we had breakfast at the bowling alley, and Aspen was not going to let us get out of there without playing at least one game. It was so much fun. She somehow thought that punching the bowling ball would help it get down the lane more effectively. She ended up beating me by 1 point. Beginners luck.

What's wrong with this picture?

2011-04-28T10:25:00.001-06:00

Both bags are coconut for some cookies made last week...

one was in my cabinet, one was borrowed from a neighbor.

Hayden has taught me that there IS something wrong with food (coconut, yogurt, box dinners, chips, treats, etc, etc) that has an expiration date YEARS old, even if it does pass the smell/taste test. Days... maybe I could get away with. Years... not so much.

sadly... this one came from my kitchen

SLC half marathon

2011-04-28T09:35:00.000-06:00

I signed up for the SLC marathon, thinking I would have time to train for it in 10 weeks. WRONG. I only ran one long run even for my half marathon training schedule. I knew it wasn't going to be a fast race, and have been sick, so I just planned on taking it slow and enjoying the view.

My time was nothing to brag about: 2 hours 19 minutes, 22+ minutes off my best time. but still probably one of my most enjoyable races. I stopped at drink stations, stopped at a church to use the restroom (after waiting in the port a potty line for almost 5 minutes), and stopped to stretch a cramp once along the way.

My favorite parts of this race were:

Noticing and smelling the blossoms on many of the trees along the way.
The weather was overcast, cool, and perfect, and the last mile had a little sprinkle of rain.
Running up state street and realizing that rarely (if ever) will I have the chance to have the roads shut down and be able to run up the road in front of the city/county building, Grand America hotel and down into the gateway plaza.
Having the marathon winner come through toward the finish at the same time I was coming in. The crowds cheered and the motorcycle police cleared the path.

Car story: part 2

2011-04-22T15:09:00.001-06:00

Two days of my spring break and two nights this week were ~~spent~~ sacrificed for car shopping. This is what I learned. All cars have issues (like people) it is just figuring out which issues you can and can't live with... or figuring out which ones are lurking under the surface waiting until you sign on the bottom line.

I had a bit of a disadvantage. If I were to use the money the insurance company gave us in order to replace our car, I was looking at cars with 100,000, previously wrecked cars that had been repaired, or cars that smelled bad with an attempt to mask over the odor with some "magic cleaner".

I hate car shopping.

I hate haggling.

I dread thinking of how much money I am going to spend, and the possibility that it could have major issues shortly afterwards, I wouldn't be able to do a thing about it (Utah is a buyer-beware state).

Pressure.

Finally we decided to look into a new car that was very affordable. Many of the cars on the used car lots were more money than the new Hyundai Elantra, so that is what we started looking for. Yeah, well, apparently everyone else was looking for one too. Dealers had cars on the lot, but most had already sold. The trucks coming into most of the dealers had the cars already sold before the trucks even arrived. Some of the cars would be what we were looking for and then it would have added features that were not cost effective nor necessary. Wednesday I got out of school early, and decided to go look at a local dealer. There were 10 on the lot, but only four were not already sold. Three of those four had the navigation system we were not willing to pay extra for, so that left one car.

This is where the drama began.

I spent two hours at the dealer, driving cars and looking around. The salesman helping me was... hmmm... how do I describe him best? If you have ever seen the skit on Saturday Night Live with Chris Farley as the motivational speaker, then you will remember he wears pants he keeps having to hitch up, the tie that barely makes it half way down his rounded belly, and talks about living in a "van down by the river". Yeah... this guy could have been him. To a "T".

I find out his daughter was in my class a few years back, and he is working me for a deal. I tell him I need to run to grab my daughter and come back with my husband, and head home.

This is at 3:00pm

4:15 Hayden gets a call from the dealership (same) letting us know that the Costco pricing inquiry that we submitted online earlier that day would give us an additional $700 off.

5:15 I text the salesman and tell him we are on our way

5:30 I text and let him know which car to have out for Hayden to see

5:45 We arrive, the car is out, the salesman sits us at his desk and puts the keys on his desk.

5:50 Hayden mentions the Costco discount.

This is where the pants-hitching, Chris Farley antics went into high gear.

Salesman leaves to get a "different" invoice for the Costco pricing

6:00 We are waiting still, walking around looking at cars inside the building.

6:10 A couple walks in and begins wandering and looking as well. Our salesman sits down with this couple and begins working on something... we are still waiting.

6:40 The couple leave, and the manager and our DUDE comes over.

Manager: "We have some bad news. We just sold that car to those people"

Us: silence

Manager: "We did find this car (sits down an invoice) for a car in Logan that can be driven down here tomorrow"

Hayd: "What is different about this car?"

M: "Nothing, it is the same car, basically"

Hayd: "Then why is it almost $700 more expensive?"

M: "Oh, that's the NEW pricing coming out on this model now"

Hayd: "We are leaving"

Our DUDE: "What? Was it something I did??"

To make a long story short (relatively), we left and headed north. We made it to downtown SLC ten minutes before closing time, got the same car, better color, $1000 cheaper, and from a MUCH MUCH nicer set of people than where we had just been.

Did I mention I hate car shopping??

Car story: part 1

2011-04-21T21:42:00.001-06:00

April 5 was a very out of the ordinary day. Had ONE thing gone differently that day, everything would have had a different outcome.

I had to drive to Springville after work to pick up Aspen from a birthday party.
I usually drive right back to Lehi to get her.
I had a strange thought/prompting come to mind:
what if I drove to Ephraim to visit Debra and Frank, since Hayden wouldn't be home late.
I decided against it.
Aspen was dying of thirst.
I should really stop and get her a drink on the next exit.
I talked myself into pushing through and I would get her a drink in Lehi.

I drove for a few miles.
A car a couple in front of me stopped suddenly.
So did the person in front of me.
I came to a screeching halt, barely avoiding a collision.
I hear squealing of tires, then impact.
Then impact number two.
Aspen cried, but was uninjured.
I was ok as well, however, I was sore and in pain for a good week afterwards

The end result had the car behind me pushed between my car and the median barrier, right next to my car. My vehicle was pushed into the car in front of me. The front bumper that belonged to the car that originally was two behind me, was picked up by the clean up crew from under my front bumper. All told, it ended up being a six car accident.
I was stuck in my car during the entire clean up process, so I was never able to see the damages, but I knew everything seemed to be somewhat intact. Surely it shouldn't take too much to put it back together.
How wrong I was... it was a total loss.
Had I only known that sitting there would be the last time I would be the driver of my car.
I visited my car again this past week. I took pictures. I cried. A lot.
I should have payed attention to my promptings.

Making a list. Checking it twice.

2011-04-20T10:39:00.000-06:00

She loves to draw.
Markers are her favorite (I suppose that is because they do the most damage)
She makes lists (like her mother), even if it is a just a make believe list.

Combine the three.

She came into the bathroom one night and cracked me up.
"Outfits. Check"
"Paint the house. Check"
"Play with Caleb. Check"
"Anything else you need mom?"

Lullabies

2011-04-19T08:07:00.001-06:00

When Wade was a baby/toddler, we used to have a song that was "our song". I always used to sing him "You are my sunshine" while we cuddled in bed. Fast forward 11 years. Aspen loves having a lullaby sung to her as she is going to bed, but her preferred song has been "Rock a Bye Baby", for some strange reason.

Two days ago I told her the story of how I used to sing "Sunshine" to Wade when he was little, and now that is the song of choice.
She'll say "Sing me the lullaby of Wade when he was a baby".
I play dumb, and say "Which one?"
"The When skies are grey song" she says.

So now... You are my sunshine is "our song"... shared by the three of us.

Spring Break

2011-04-11T08:19:00.002-06:00

I have seven days in front of me to do whatever with. Hayden is working (and working... and then working some more), so it is Aspen and me flying solo, for the most part.

Seven days.

Seven open, non-planned days.

I start thinking of all the things I could/would/should do in those seven days.

They seem so open and available, but as today has shown me... they fill up quickly.

So... what is on my "wish list" for spring break?

How likely are all of them, if any, to actually happen?

With 3 days of snow, will the weather cooperate with my plans?

Here is my list:

__lunch with Morgan
_X_Hogle Zoo (planned for today)
__lunch with Jenn
_X_swimming with Aspen
_X_car shopping
_X_retrieve my stuff out of my old car
__Trafalga
__sewing
__scrapbooking
_X_meeting with Becky
__dinosaur museum
_X_deal with insurance company
_X_get my x-rays done
__visit Larue
_X_SLC 1/2 marathon on Saturday
_X_house clean
__garden tilled (weather permitting)
_X_morning cuddling with Aspen
_X_mow my front lawn (once again... weather permitting)
__meal planning
_X_cooking
_X_run. run. run
_X_library
_X_book on cd
__blog
__home repairs
_X_McDonald's playland

Looking at my list makes me realize that my OPEN days are not so open if I am to accomplish even half of my to-do list.
I better get started!

Day 18: A favorite recipe

2011-04-07T09:42:00.000-06:00

Chicken Enchiladas:

Crock pot = EASY

Easy is good...

I made this recipe up in a pinch, and it is one of our favorites.

4 chicken breasts (whole)

2 cans diced green chilis

Cook in crock pot on low for 6-8 hours.

Mash up chicken (it should pull apart easily at this point)

Stir in 1 cup cream cheese.

Add enough water to get mixture to a mush consistency.

Fill tortilla shells with mixture.

Roll and place in sprayed 9x13 baking dish.

Top with cheese.

Cover with foil and bake 325˚ for 20 minutes.

YUMMY!!

Easy!

Taken for Granted...

2011-04-05T20:39:00.000-06:00

"You don't know what you've got til it's gone" Joni Mitchell.

This week I have become keenly aware of certain things that I am blessed with.

Things that I have a new appreciation for, since having to exist without them.

talking (always helpful with a 3 year old or with 250 twelve year olds)

teaching (this is where talking is always helpful)

running (yes, even at 5am)

sleeping (coughing does not help)

hot water (shower, dishwasher, laundry)

nice weather (3 days with it makes putting up with 4 inches of snow hard to do)

a drive-able car (mine is not because of a 6 car pile-up on the freeway)

safety (we are all ok... our car is not)

just a nice normal, regular day as a healthy person

Sick

2011-03-29T08:41:00.000-06:00

It wasn't a great weekend at our place. Hayden has an illness that has lingered for months, and this past week has just about done him in. Aspen ended up getting sick, and alternated between being perky, talkative (non-stop) and wanting to play... and feverish (101*), listless and crying about not feeling good and having a sick tummy. An hour later, she was back to her normal self, only to have her fever return a few hours later.

I haven't been feeling swell either. I woke this morning with a pretty bad sore throat, and I have been achey for a good day or so, but I am determined to fend off any further sickness, so I went running in hopes of doing just that. So far it doesn't seem to be helping much.

So... our days have been filled with humidifiers, fever reducers, cough drops, Vicks, cool rags (Aspen's must-have for when she is sick), breathing treatments, orange juice and boxes of Kleenex.

Day 17: Favorite band or artist

2011-03-26T21:32:00.000-06:00

Being a lover of music, I have lots of favorites.
To pick my favorites I figured out which ones have music I love, and which I would definitely have on my MUST SEE concerts, when they make it even close to SLC.

In no particular order:
Blue October (seen them 1 time)

Kenny Chesney (seen in Vegas once)

Train (seen 3 times as train, 1 time as a solo artist)

Pink

Live (seen twice)

Day 16 — A favorite food

2011-03-21T18:23:00.000-06:00

Pick?

Just one?

Not possible.

I'm not a big sweet lover, but these two things offer me more temptation that I can often bear.

Apple pie caramel apple from Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory &

Cream cheese brownies from Walmart.

Day 15: A photo of my family

2011-03-16T20:21:00.000-06:00

I year or two old... but I love this picture

Day 14: An old photo

2011-03-15T08:40:00.000-06:00

I have been scanning old pictures this past week, so this was an easy one for me. Funny (and sad) how fast time goes. Hard to believe that my teenage-independent-"moving on to adult-hood" children once were the cuddly toddlers in my pictures.

Day 13: Something I want to buy

2011-03-15T07:51:00.001-06:00

I have put this post off for awhile, trying to think of something I would want to buy. I couldn't think of anything. How spoiled does that mean I am? Pretty spoiled.

So... I'm changing it to "something I wish I could find".

3 individual earrings that are irreplaceable that I can't find the mates to.
My old Depeche Mode t-shirt.
A Snow College football sweatshirt.
A handmade sweater that went missing during college.
A Lionel Richie piano book.
$20
An old journal from high school.

Day 12: Something I bought recently

2011-03-08T20:06:00.002-07:00

My dog has recently taken to chewing things. His most recent destruction was my favorite, most comfortable pair of shoes. They were a pair of Terrasoles. These every day shoes are seriously more comfortable than house slippers. Unfortunately for me, however, my size, style and ANY color of my dead shoes were no longer being made so I had to make another selection (but they are still Terrasoles). Still just as comfortable, and these even match more outfits.

Another purchase was this fun little book. Can't wait to try some of the cool little jewelry pieces in this.

Day 11: Photo of me recently

2011-03-08T19:13:00.000-07:00

I am usually the person behind the camera, so pictures of me are few and far between.

Gotta love cell phones.

One... and done.

Day 10: Picture of myself from more than 10 years ago

2011-03-07T07:48:00.000-07:00

40 years ago

16 years ago

10 years ago

Day 9: Pet Peeves

2011-03-06T19:36:00.000-07:00

Pet peeves...

Not many.

The word: ANYWAY... it does NOT have an "S" on the end.
People who are late (or do not show up at all)... or don't call and let you know they are running late.
People who drag out meetings with pointless questions (that have already been answered the previous 15 times they asked them)
Not knowing how to say THANK YOU
Slow drivers... and crazy fast drivers.

Day 8: Something I crave

2011-03-04T08:17:00.000-07:00

If we are talking food... then it would have to be these little morsels of orange goodness. Not sure what it is about these things that makes them so delicious. I really try to not eat an entire box... even have to hide it from myself sometimes (out of sight-out of mind SOMETIMES does work). I tried the lower-fat kind. Yeah... not the same.

As far as something other than food... I just crave SPRING.

The smell of OUTSIDE, playing with Aspen at the park, going outside (without a coat), taking dogs for a walk, using my super-duper yard blower, and working in the garden.

Oh... not to mention, running in 60+ weather.

Day 7: Favorite Photo

2011-03-03T13:00:00.000-07:00

I have always LOVED this photo.

Partially because I took it,

but mostly because it just sums up

ASPEN.

My animal chasing-

table climbing-

outside lovin'-

full of attitude-

easy-going-

mischievous-

happy-go-lucky girl.

Day 6: A fun fact about me

2011-03-02T15:29:00.000-07:00

I once entered a pageant once (twice, actually)... and actually won (once).

Shocker, I know.

I had entered with a friend who had suggested that I play the accordion (yes, I once knew how to play the accordion) and she would blow bubbles as our combined talent. Our version of Lawrence Welk.
Thank heavens the pageant I did win did not have a swimsuit competition, otherwise that might have changed the outcome of the entire thing.
The best part was being able to go to the Jr. Miss pageant on the state level... that and the nice little scholarship from Utah State.

We interrupt this 30 day blog challenge for... PHOENIX!

2011-02-28T09:47:00.001-07:00

I've had BLOG on the top of my "to do" list for the past week, however, I have had a workshop in Phoenix. Throw in 7 hours of meetings with no internet in room, and it leads to NO blog posts while I was away.

But... I AM BACK!!!

So... back on track for tomorrow, but today I'll show you what I have been up to this past week.

I fell in love with Phoenix on this trip. Perhaps because of the amazing hotel we stayed in (Sheraton downtown), or because of the great food (thanks to my YELP app on my phone/ipad), or because of the warm weather I was able to run in the second morning we were there (50 degrees :) The Phoenix Suns arena and Chase Field (AZ Diamondbacks) were both within blocks of our hotel... it would be fun to go back and catch a game at both places sometime.

My events/dining/etc for the 3 days:

Tuesday:
Cibo (dinner). 5 stars!
Sheraton check in.

Wednesday:
3.5 mile run (treadmill)
PLC conference (great keynote speakers)
My Big Fat Greek Restaurant (lunch). Horrible wait, average food.
More conference.
Drive to Scottsdale.
Cantina Laredo (dinner) A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.! 5 stars!
My H & M shopping fix (had to replace Aspen's shoes we lost on the ship)

Thursday:
3.4 mile run in downtown Phoenix. Picked up a couple extra runners in the lobby.
More conference.
Thai Elephant (lunch). 4 stars.
More conference.
Hike up Camelback Mountain (this deserves a write up of it's own at the bottom)
Maggiano's (dinner) in Scottsdale. 4 stars. Bread at Maggiano's... 5 stars.

Friday:
More conference.
Alice Cooper's-town (lunch). 5 stars! Great fries, chili, and mashed potatoes.
Airport & home.

CAMELBACK MOUNTAIN:
1.2 miles up the side of a mountain with boulders and terrain that required hand holds, and an incline of 1300 feet. One teacher ended up stopping when we had to start climbing using the poles, and another kept trying to stop, but I kept persisting. We made it to the top just before sunset. What an amazing view. The hike was not a trail hike, per say, but a climb over large boulders. Even in broad daylight we got lost a few times because it is hard to tell where the trail even is.

SO... as we watched the sun set, I realized we were standing on top of a mountain with an "older" hiker to get down the trail... over boulders... without getting lost... IN THE DARK!!!
That was an interesting hike. Fun day!

hiking up the "trail"

Downtown Phoenix in the distance

At the top: me, Jared, Michael & Audrey

Day 5: A favorite Quote

2011-02-18T11:42:00.002-07:00

One of my favorite quotes comes from John Greenleaf Whittier.

For of all sad words of tongue or pen,

The saddest are these: "It might have been"

I watched a video many years ago of my wedding reception. People came through my line, and I hugged and loved on many friends and family. My grandpa came through, and unbeknown to me at the time, I shook his hand and turned away from him looking for the next person in line.

I cried watching this clip.

My Grandpa was not a hugely affectionate person. He had a stern personality, but I never wanted to lose him without his not knowing how much I truly loved him.

I made it up to him before died.

I visited more often.

I hugged and kissed him each time I saw him after that.

But what if I hadn't seen that video?

At one point in my life I had 3 young children, ages 6, 3 and a newborn. Life had boiled down to a series of tasks. Laundry, dishes (with no dishwasher), vacuum, baths, diapers, mow, dishes (again), garden, dinner, etc.

I just wanted an hour to myself to sew or whatever.

I wished they would be old enough to entertain themselves for an hour.

Well... I wished, and my wish came true.

They were toddlers no more.

Fast forward 14 years.

I have a 3 year old, and I see remnants of the toddlers that I once took for granted.

Every day that passes I breathe her in.

I smell her hair.

We cuddle.

I tickle her face.

We read books.

I hold her in the shower.

We sit on the heater and watch movies.

Sometimes my laundry gets to wait while I love on her.

Dinner sometimes gets to be made from a box so we can play blocks.

I do my best to make up those moments with my kids... but its a bit more difficult with a bunch of teenage boys. But we cook, play games, and spend time together that would have gone unnoticed had I not had a 3 year old to remind me what I took for granted.

I mourn the days that I lost with my little ones because I was too caught up in "being productive".

I won't let "what might have been" haunt me.

I've been trying to intervene.

To find things that I might regret someday and make a difference now.

I'm sure there are things I'm not aware of... I'll tackle those as they come.

Day 4: Favorite Book

2011-02-17T10:25:00.002-07:00

Yeah... I was prepared to be consistent with my 30 day blog posts, but the power went out last night.
So today... Day 4 and Day 5.

Favorite Book:
To be honest... I don't have tons of time to just sit and veg with a book. I'm lucky if I get in this months Runner's World before the next one arrives at my house. I still love books, I just, well... cheat a little.
My cheating = BOOKS ON CD!
It's amazing how much I get done (or how many miles you cover) when listening to something as captivating as a good book.
So... that being said...

Picking out a favorite book is like picking out a favorite actor, or a favorite candy.
Is that really POSSIBLE??
I have books that stand out.
I have authors that I love.
But a favorite??

My first author I fell in love with: Victoria Holt.
My mom got me started on her books, and I have been a fan ever since.
I've read pretty much anything she has written (under her pen-name of Victoria Holt, anyway)
Favorite V.H. book:
On the night of the seventh moon.

Other stand out books/authors:
Kite Runner
1,000 Splendid Suns

Anything Dean Koontz (with the exception of a few strange ones).
J.A. Jance.
and my most recent read? (which I loved, by the way)

Day 3: Favorite TV show

2011-02-15T09:47:00.000-07:00

Favorite TV show
How do I pick just one?
The past 2 years, Hayden and I have never missed an episode of FRINGE.
Great actors... well, amazing actors.
Not sure how to describe this show:
A mix of science fiction, parallel universes, and mystery and suspense. Definitely a show I would recommend.

Others I also love:
I've watched all the seasons of Grey's Anatomy, and love them.
Law & Order (any/all). Been an avid watcher for almost a decade. Never gets old.

Day 2: Favorite Movie

2011-02-14T11:19:00.000-07:00

Day 2: favorite movie

This is a close one for me... Between Princess Bride and Man From Snowy River.
Princess Bride is a fun movie that I can quote almost word for word.
Fun actors.
Great story.

Man From Snowy River, however, is a movie that is just ME.
It has :
Horses.
Interesting family dynamics.
An underdog hero.
Music I can play on the piano.
Australia.
A bit of attitude, with a great ending line.
"He's not a lad, brother. He's a man. Man from Snowy River"

if you get bored...

2011-02-13T11:38:00.001-07:00

ipod with video + 17 year old kid (bored)= quality entertainment.

p.s. I had to send his ipod in for repairs, so I stole this video before it shipped. Thus, this "copy" is an "unauthorized by Brenden" video :)

30 days of Blogging Love (day 1: favorite song)

2011-02-12T16:26:00.000-07:00

Inspired by some of my fellow bloggers... I've taken up the challenge to blog 30 things in 30 days (now that my vacation blogging is caught up).

Today is day 1:
Favorite Song

"Time to Say Goodbye" by Sarah Brightman and Andrea Bocelli.
I have gotten chills listening to this song from the first day I heard it...
THEN...
I was at the Bellagio in Vegas and saw the water show to this song.
A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.!!!

My favorite songs of the moment come and go, but this one I think has been around long enough to qualify as my favorite.

Tell me what you REALLY think...

2011-02-10T20:15:00.002-07:00

Me (to Hayden): HEY... how do you like my hair today?
H: It's nice.

...pause...

H: To be honest, you could do whatever with your hair, and wear no makeup. It wouldn't matter. It won't take the focus away from your jacket.

Yeah... he isn't a fan.

p.s. I love this coat. The tag said $145 but I got it for $6, and it's a Juicy Couture jacket. It's SO me! Even if my student's ask me why I'm wearing a garbage bag :)

Doors of Old San Juan

2011-02-09T14:24:00.001-07:00

What a beautiful place to spend a day.

What an amazing place to take a whole bunch of pictures.

Puerto Rico, part 2

2011-02-09T14:03:00.000-07:00

We LOVE LOVE Puerto Rico. Our hotel was amazing, with the ocean out our door, basically. Hammocks, swimming pools, and a beach, and some pretty retro decorating. Our ship got into San Juan early in the morning, so we had time to drop our bags off at the hotel, and explore. Aspen and I wandered around the hotel, and relaxed by the ocean and went swimming while Hayden took a nap.

At the top of the waterslide @ the hotel

The ONE thing I really wanted to do while we had time was to go into Old San Juan. We took the city bus for 75¢ and it dropped us off right on the corner of our destination. What an amazing place. I probably walked around with my jaw on the ground for the first 15 minutes. It felt like we were walking on a movie set. Everything seemed too beautiful, too unique to be part of an actual city. The colors of buildings were amazing, the doors of the buildings were amazing, the cobblestone streets were cool, and the shops were very unique.

Waiting for the bus

Aspen and her "glass slipper" chair

We walked around a bit, in awe, then hunger got the best of us. We found a nice little place and had some great food. Aspen loved sitting on her "glass slipper" chair. There is so much cool stuff to say about this town, I don't even know how to say it all. The fort walls were huge and amazing. The old cemetery was picturesque (if that is possible for a cemetery). The weather was perfect. The people were fun to watch and very friendly. There was an amazing hotel that used to be an old convent for nuns. Cats roamed the street all over town, and it appeared that people would just leave food around and collectively feed them all. On Sunday's (the day we happened to be there) there is a whole section of town down by the water that has merchants out selling their goods... from food to jewelry to treats. We had a frozen coconut ice freeze (like ice cream). Delicious.

At the fountain in Old San Juan, people would feed the birds, and this was HEAVEN for Aspen. She feels lucky when she has one or two birds to chase... but 50??? And... 50 birds that kept coming back after she ran after them. When it was time to move on she said "Mom, just 4 more minutes". Yeah... we stayed. I'm a sucker for a little girl having fun.

The church was closed on the day we were there, but I managed (in my very bad broken Spanish) to tell the guy we were leaving the next day and wouldn't be able to come back, so he let us in for a peak.

One of the highlights of the day was coming up over the ridge to see the fort and noticing something dotting the sky. As we came over the top of the hill, there were people EVERYWHERE flying kites, having lunch, playing soccer and such with their families and friends. It was like a scene from the movie Kite Runner. What a perfect backdrop for it too.

We would love love to come back this island. We missed going to the rain forest and Phosphorescent Bay. We would love to make it to some other beaches. I would love to make it back to Old San Juan. What a perfect ending to a great trip!

Cemetery @ the old fort

Aspen looking into one of the old holding cells

St Martin/St Maarten

2011-02-06T13:55:00.000-07:00

St. Martin if you are on the French side... St. Maarten if you are on the Dutch side of the island. Looking for a little flair and culture in our day, we opted to taxi to the French side.
WE LOVE THIS PLACE!
Beautiful.
Clean.
Very French.
Funny sounding ambulances (like in the movies).
Slow relaxed pace... 2 hours to finish lunch.
Lots of French speaking people.
Very delicious pastries. YUMMY!

We have already looked into coming back to this island.
We didn't hit a beach this day until we were on our way back to the ship, in order to grab my shells and sand.

Feeding and chasing birds

St. Kitts

2011-02-06T13:40:00.000-07:00

St Kitts

The Atlantic Side of the island

Enticed by the call of monkeys that come out of the wild, we picked a particular beach to go to today. After commandeering a cab, he informed us that beach is now part of a resort, and directed us to another beach that also had monkeys.

Our cab drivers' name was Elvis, which should have been a hint as to the entertainment value HE would provide US that day.
Luckily, we were at the beach early, so it felt as though we were the only people on earth. The little place there (the Shipwreck Bar & Grill) had chairs and canopies to rent, and wasn't even open when we arrived. The canopy did not provide the shelter needed from the rains of the morning, though. We ended up under the cover of the restaurant, and stayed there until the rain passed an hour or so later.
The monkeys did not disappoint. Luckily we had brought a banana with us, and Aspen was able to feed them. There were a dozen or so and they would come out of the trees and the forest, right down to the road to eat. Momma monkeys and baby monkeys, monkeys in trees, hiding in the rocks.

A native islander came around and offered to braid Aspen's hair. After she did (and we paid too much for it... but we felt bad for some of their conditions), her son, who was 6, played with Aspen for several hours on the beach. It was hillarious to watch. They played chase, drew pictures in the sand, and shared some Cheetos.

There were a couple funny and scary parts to the day.
**Our cab driver apologized for having to stop by his house on our drive back to the ship, to "feed his baby" who was home alone. Thinking he was talking about a wife and family... we asked how old his baby was. 13 weeks. Huh? 13 weeks and he is home alone? Yeah... our cab driver took time out of his job to take some scraps of food to his 13 week old DOG. Yeah. We laughed. On the drive to his house, we drove on a paved one lane road, with a car parked off the shoulder, with sugar cane growing all through it.

**We stopped at a convenience store in town, and were checking out with 3 drinks and a couple candy bars. You would think, to watch them check our items, that it was a movie playing in slow motion.
One item picked up.
Item written down on tablet.
Item cost put into register.
Item put into shopping bag.
Next item picked up...
and so on...
SLOW MOTION!!!
As was the speed of every island we were on. Very laid back and un-rushed.

**Town was a bit scary. Some of the natives are not very happy about all the tourists invading their space. We were yelled at by a passing car to "Go back to the ship", and some of the people walking around in town seemed as if they were in a trance. Cops sat outside certain stores. We can only assume that those stores could afford the extra cost of paying for the extra security.

Pretty country, but not one we probably would go back to for a lengthy stay, unless we stayed out of the main part of town.

St Lucia

2011-02-06T13:16:00.001-07:00

Thursday, January 20
It is Thursday, and today was St Lucia. We went to another beach today, and have almost reached our beach limit for the trip. The sun takes a toll on poor Aspen, even though she is the most excited to be playing in the water. She plays so hard, that by the time we get back to the ship, she is down for a 3 hour nap as soon as she showers. Yesterday she even fell asleep on Hayden's head (while she was on his shoulders) on our walk back to the ship.

Shells and sand... my little hobby.

Aspen's sand castles with "WINDOWS"

We usually rent a car in ports, but the aggressive drivers, interesting road rules, and driving on the wrong side of the road kinda scared us off. That left us with either paying for a tour, or a taxi. Today we paid a guy $25 to take us to a beach North of where the ship docked. He knew quite a bit of history and such, so it made it quite interesting. The bad part about getting off a cruise ship in this port (St. Lucia) is that the taxi/tour guys are so overly aggressive, that it made just walking in to town unbearable because we got harassed for 20 minutes by different taxi service drivers before we finally just took one to get out of there. Then it was $15 to use a couple chairs and an umbrella on Raymond Bay beach, and they wanted $1 to use the bathrooms (unless you eat lunch at their facility). The locals walk around and try to sell you jewelry and paintings and such. I ended up buying a couple necklaces, but then was mad at how much I paid after our taxi driver took us to the market in town, and I found the same things for 1/3 the price. The market was cool. Definitely a place to barter, because they are willing. I was wishing we had had a chance to stop by the local cemetery and take some pictures. It was beautiful and very different from what we have in Utah. The plots are above ground and have intricate, large headstones and statues. This island looked much like Barbados from yesterday, with the exception of the tall peak mountains that St. Lucia has. Our driver today said it was quite affordable to live here ($300 a month/USD) for a 2 bedroom, which is quite the contrast to the driver yesterday in Barbados, who said starting BUY IN on that island is 10 million on the shore, and low income housing is about $200,000. I think our Barbados driver didn't have any love for the wealthy section of the population on his island (or just extremely envied them).

I'm starting to think of home. Shame on me, I know. On vacation and missing home. I have been running on a regular basis here, though. I am not sure I'll miss going back to the cold, however, even some days when I'm baking (and overbaking) on the beach... it does sound appealing.

A mall on the island that never got finished.


Taking care of business back home

amazing backdrop for a beach.

Barbados

2011-02-06T11:14:00.000-07:00

It's funny how the way a day ENDS determines what you thought of that day, overall. We had such a great time in Barbados, but ended the day by walking (in the wrong direction) to find our ship, instead of paying the $2 to taxi back. Aspen was asleep in Hayden's arms (she is heavy) and our beach towels were covered with sand and water (heavier) and in a bag on my shoulder. Combine that with shoes that are starting to wear blisters onto your feet... and you can see how the day ends badly.

This island was A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!! We paid $60 for our driver to drive us around the island, take us to a beach (which we got passes to be on), and give us some history/facts about the island. The island is beautiful. Our driver was quite envious of the rich on the island, and it showed. The beach was the whitest sand of any of the places from our trip. The weather in this part of the world is beautiful. A rain storm will roll in, stay for 15 minutes, and then sunny skies will be back for a few more hours.

Aspen's Top 10

2011-02-04T12:07:00.000-07:00

Aspen's top 10 things about the ship:

The "TAIL"
Towel animals on her bed each night.
Chocolate mints on our bed (she ate every last one of them each night).
Swimming.
Kids Club (especially on face painting days).
Sleeping in a bunk bed.
The balcony of our cabin.
Endless supply of chocolate milk.
Miniature umbrellas.
Folded napkins at dinner.

St. Thomas: USVI

2011-02-02T14:58:00.000-07:00

St. Thomas
January 17, 2011

What an amazing day. What started off rather frustrating, because this port did NOT bombard us with options when we got, ended up being a fabulous day. We finally found a brochure and got someone to agree to take us on the water. We took a cab to a bay on the North of the island (by St. Johns), and had them take us to a place to snorkel. We were the only ones in the bay, and Aspen was hilarious. After several attempts to get her to try on the snorkeling gear and take a peak at the fish below (the gear was TOTALLY too big for her), she finally tried it. I said "did you see the fish", and to appease me she said "I think so". Hayden and I did some fish looking, while Aspen tagged along on the floating pad we brought along in the water. By the time we were swimming back to the boat, Aspen had decided she was done with her goggles and tossed them somewhere in the water. A quick search did not turn up any goggles.

Our driver knew quite a bit about the island, schools, crime, people, famous residents (KENNY CHESNEY :), cost of living, history. It was fun to just drive in the boat around the island and take in the sights and such.

We asked for a beach, and he took us to a very secluded beach on the back of Hassell Island. Not many people, amazing beach and sand, and we were in heaven. He dropped us off at our pier, saving us the time (and cost) of having to taxi back from the far side of the island.

This island had crazy drivers as well (and backwards driving). We paid $30 for a taxi to the initial beach we got the boat from. It was the first time we wanted some options to choose from when we got off the ship, and were left with nothing. It turned out the best BY FAR!